NCJ Number
239646
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 57 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2012 Pages: 228-233
Date Published
January 2012
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This paper describes a rapid and simple gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous detection and quantification of five psychotropic phenylalkylamines in toenails.
Abstract
A rapid and simple gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous detection and quantification of five psychotropic phenylalkylamines (amphetamine, methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, and norketamine) in toenails. After external decontamination, nail clippings were mechanically pulverized with a bead mill and then incubated in methanol under ultrasonication at 50 degrees C for 1 h. The resulting solutions were evaporated to dryness, derivatized, and analyzed by GC-MS. The intra- and inter-day precisions were within 10.7% and 13.9%, respectively. The intra- and inter-day accuracies were -4.2 percent to 5.0 percent and -2.4 percent to 8.4 percent, respectively. Limits of detection and quantification for each analyte were lower than 0.024 and 0.08 ng/mg, respectively. The recoveries were in the range of 80.6-87.5 percent. The results indicated that the proposed method is a simple, rapid, accurate, and precise for quantification of five phenylalkylamines in nails. The method was successfully applied to the simultaneous detection and quantification of phenylalkylamines in nail samples of possible drug abusers. Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons.