STUDY OF SCOTT TEST USING SPECTROSCOPIC TECHNIQUES: AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD FOR DETECTING COCAINE HYDROCHLORIDE AND ITS ADDULTERANTS IN STREET DRUGS

Cocaine is usually seized mixed with a wide variety of adulterants such as benzocaine, lidocaine, caffeine, and procaine. The forensic identification of cocaine in these street drug mixtures is normally performed using colorimetric testing kits, but these tests may suffer from interferences, producing false-positive results. Here, we describe the use of analytical techniques including attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) spectroscopies to distinguish between cocaine and other adulterants (lidocaine, promethazine, powdered milk and yeast) that yield positive results on the Scott test using the thiocyanate cobalt reagent. A further 13 substances were also analyzed using the Scott test

A Survey Of Adulterants Used To Cut Cocaine In Samples Seized In The Espirito Santo State By Gc-ms Allied To Chemometric Tools

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Cocaine is a stimulant drug of the central nervous system (CNS) extracted from the leaves of Erytroxylum coca. It is defined as a tropane alkaloid containing 1R-(exo,exo)-3-(benzoyloxy)-8-methyl-8-azabicyclo[3.2.1]octane-2-carboxylic acid methyl esther. However, despite its defined composition, a wide variety of chemical additives are present in cocaine found in the illicit market, such as benzocaine, lidocaine, caffeine, procaine and phenacetin. In this work, 512 cocaine samples seized by the Civil Police of Espirito Santo state (PC-ES, Brazil) were analyzed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) allied to principal component analysis (PCA) in order to classify the samples as a function of seizure year (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012) and location (metropolitan, north, south and central). The cocaine content (wt.%) and its adulterants were also estimated. Analyzing the samples seized between 2008 and 2011, three sample sets are clearly grouped according to the degree of adulteration with caffeine and lidocaine: 100-50 wt.% of cocaine; 50-20 wt.% of cocaine; and 20-80 wt.% of lidocaine and 60-80 wt.% of caffeine, simultaneously. The last group is formed by samples seized between 2008 and 2009, which proves the higher degree of adulteration during this period. In 2012, higher cocaine content was observed for the 191 analyzed samples than in samples from previous years. The PCA data also suggests that the metropolitan region samples had a higher degree of adulteration than the state countryside samples. (C) 2015 The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.5627379FAPES [65921380/2013]CAPES [23038.007083/2014-40]CNPq [445987/2014-6]Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Fractionation of asphaltenes in n-hexane and on adsorption onto CaCO3 and characterization by ESI(+)FT-ICR MS: Part I

Two methods of asphaltenes fractionation have been employed to facilitate the characterization of their respective subfractions. The methods are based on step-wise precipitation with different n-hexane/crude oil ratios, and on adsorption onto CaCO3. Three subfractions were produced for each method, being named of 3.5 V, 3.5-6 V, and 6-40 V (for the first method); and non-adsorbed (bulk), adsorbed, and irreversibly adsorbed (for the second method). The fractions were characterized by elementary analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance of proton (1H NMR) and by positive ion-mode electrospray Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI(+) FT-ICR MS). The elemental analysis, described in previous work, revealed that the C/H ratio for whole asphaltene and its sub-fractions varied between a narrow range (0.83-0.88) which means they present similar aromaticity or unsaturation. Furthermore, the elemental analysis corroborates with the 1H NMR analysis suggesting that subfraction 6-40 V presented a more aromatic profile than of remaining subfractions, while for the fractionation using CaCO3, this behavior was observed for the adsorbed subfraction. However, a more detailed molecular information was obtained from ESI(+)-FT-ICR MS data, showing that polar compounds species with lower carbon numbers were mainly found for the irreversibly adsorbed subfraction. Besides, the double bond equivalent (DBE) distribution is an important tool to associate the chemical information with solubility parameters, in which, a narrower DBE distribution was observed for irreversibly adsorbed (for fractionation onto CaCO3) and subfraction 3.5 V (fractionation in n-hexane) samples, indicating that they are less soluble in hydrocarbons. Also, solubility parameters (d) were calculated from ESI(+) FT-ICR MS data, where the results indicate that subfractions produced in n-hexane have a lower tendency to precipitate in hydrocarbons in relation to subfractions produced onto CaCO3210790802CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQCOORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DO AMAPÁ - FAPEAPFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA E INOVAÇÃO DO ESPÍRITO SANTO - FAPESsem informação23038.007083/2014-40sem informaçãosem informaçã

2-(4-IODO-2,5-DIMETOXIFENIL)-N-[(2-METOXIFENIL)METIL]ETAMINA OU 25I-NBOME: CARACTERIZAÇÃO QUÍMICA DE UMA DESIGNER DRUG

Drug trafficking and the introduction of new drugs onto the illicit market are one of the main challenges of the forensic community. In this study, the chemical profile of a new designer drug, 2-(4-iodine-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-n-[(2-methoxyphenyl)methyl]etamine or 25I-NBOMe was explored using thin layer chromatography (TLC), ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry (UV-Vis), attenuated total reflection with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(ATR-FTIR), gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI-FT-ICR MS). First, the TLC technique was effective for identifying spots related to 25C-, 25B- and 25I-NBOMe compounds, all with the same retention factor, Rf ≈ 0.50. No spot was detected for 2,5-dimethoxy-4-bromoamphetamine, 2,5-Dimethoxy-4-chloroamphetamine or lysergic acid diethylamide compounds. ATR-FTIR preserved the physical-chemical properties of the material, whereas GC-MS and ESI-MS showed better analytical selectivity. ESI(+)FT-ICR MS was used to identify the exact mass (m/z428.1706 for the [M + H]+ ion), molecular formula (M = C18H22INO3), degree of unsaturation (DBE = 8) and the chemical structure (from collision induced dissociation, CID, experiments) of the 25I-NBOMe compound. Furthermore, the ATR-FTIR and CID results suggested the presence of isomers, where a second structure is proposed as an isomer of the 25I-NBOMe molecule