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The complexities associated with new psychoactive substances in influent wastewater: The case of 4‐ethylmethcathinone
Author(s) -
Bade Richard,
Abbate Vincenzo,
Abdelaziz Ahmed,
Nguyen Lynn,
Trobbiani Stephen,
Stockham Peter,
Elliott Simon,
White Jason M.,
Gerber Cobus
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
drug testing and analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.065
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1942-7611
pISSN - 1942-7603
DOI - 10.1002/dta.2890
Subject(s) - wastewater , complex matrix , resolution (logic) , chemistry , chromatography , mass spectrometry , biochemical engineering , environmental science , computer science , engineering , environmental engineering , artificial intelligence
Consumption of new psychoactive substances (NPS) is an international problem for health, policing, forensic, and analytical laboratories. The transience of these substances in the community, combined with continual slight structural changes to evade legislation makes the elucidation of NPS an analytical challenge. This is amplified in a matrix as complex as wastewater. For that reason, suspect and non‐target methodologies, employing high resolution mass spectrometry are the most appropriate current tool to facilitate the identification of new and existing compounds. In the current work, a qualitative screening method of influent wastewater using liquid chromatography‐high resolution mass spectrometry showed a strong signal at m/z 192.1382 – identical to that of two NPS standards that were in our method (pentedrone and 4‐methylethcathinone), and with identical fragment ions, but the retention times did not match. This work shows the methodology followed to identify this compound, highlighting the challenges of the identifying “new” compounds in influent wastewater.