Evaluation of a colorimetric screening test for basic drugs in urine

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Forensic Toxicology

Background:

• Accurate detection of basic drugs in urine is crucial for clinical and forensic applications.
• Existing methods may require complex procedures or specialized equipment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a simple, direct colorimetric test for detecting basic drugs in urine.
• To evaluate the test's performance with a range of common drugs and metabolites.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a tetrabromophenolphthalein reagent for the colorimetric assay.
• Tested the reagent's response against 62 different drugs and their metabolites.

Main Results:

• The colorimetric test successfully detected 39 out of 62 tested compounds.
• Adequate sensitivity was achieved for many drugs at therapeutic dosage levels.

Conclusions:

• The tetrabromophenolphthalein test provides a simple and effective method for basic drug detection in urine.
• This assay is suitable for routine screening and therapeutic drug monitoring.