Contamination of illicit phencyclidine with 1-piperidinocyclohexanecarbonitrile

A retrospective study of illicit phencyclidine (PCP), which consisted of 94 different cases or 213 individual samples, has shown that one third of both the powder/tablets and green plant material contained the synthetic contaminant 1-piperidinocyclohexanecarbonitrile (PCC). The mole % PCC/PCP ranged from 1 to 68%. The method of analysis was gas chromatography (3% OV-7, 205 degrees C) and in preparation for analysis the sample was dissolved directly in chloroform or extracted from a strongly acidic solution (0.1 N HCl). Using these extraction conditions PCC was found not to undergo measurable decomposition.