[Development of Benchtop Low‑Field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Technology and Its Application in Drug Control Field]

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Forensic Science
• Drug Discovery

Background:

• New psychoactive substances (NPS) pose challenges in drug investigation due to their novel structures.
• High-field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, while powerful, is limited by cost and complexity for routine drug research.
• Quantitative NMR (qNMR) is valuable for analyzing complex mixtures without reference standards.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the development and applications of low-field NMR technology in drug research.
• To highlight the advantages of desktop low-field NMR as an accessible alternative.
• To provide insights into the potential of low-field NMR for identifying and analyzing novel drugs and precursors.

Main Methods:

• Review of low-field NMR technology advancements.
• Summary of desktop low-field NMR applications in drug screening and identification.
• Analysis of its use in determining drug content and manufacturing processes.

Main Results:

• Desktop low-field NMR provides a reduced-size, lower-cost, and simpler-to-operate solution compared to high-field NMR.
• This technology is effective for screening and identifying suspicious substances.
• It facilitates rapid content determination, analysis of drug synthesis, and traceability.

Conclusions:

• Desktop low-field NMR is a promising tool for drug research, particularly for novel psychoactive substances.
• Its accessibility and cost-effectiveness make it suitable for various drug analysis applications.
• Further development is expected to expand its role in analytical chemistry and drug investigation.