Fentanyl and Fentanyl Analog Screening Using ASAP-MS With LiveID Confirmation

Fentanyl and fentanyl analogs continue to pose a serious threat to the public health. The vast number of fentanyl analogs emerging on the black-market call for optimized analytical methods for the detection, analysis, and characterization of these extremely dangerous drugs.

Atmospheric pressure solids analysis probe (ASAP) mass spectrometry was used for the rapid analysis of 250 synthetic opioid standards, including 211 fentanyl analogs, 32 non-fentanyl related opioids, and 8 fentanyl precursors. Four cone voltages (5, 15, 35 and 50 V) were used to obtain fingerprint data for each opioid reference sample.

The generated and processed mass spectra of the 250 synthetic opioids analyzed was utilized to create an ASAP⁺ database that contains the largest compendium of mass spectra for fentanyl analogs. The built library was integrated into LiveID software, enabling real-time analyte identification. The efficacy of the software's ability to identify fentanyl analogs in a sample utilizing the spectral library was tested by analyzing five blind and four reaction mixtures. The correct identity of these nine samples was all within the top three ranked matches.

We demonstrate how the RADIAN ASAP, alongside a real-time sample recognition software, can be utilized as a presumptive tool for the screening of fentanyl analogs within samples in question, making it a promising alternative to some of the most commonly used analytical screening techniques.