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Signature Profiling and Classification of Illicit Heroin by GC‐MS Analysis of Acidic and Neutral Manufacturing Impurities
Author(s) -
Morello David R.,
Cooper Sam D.,
Panicker Sini,
Casale John F.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of forensic sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.715
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4029
pISSN - 0022-1198
DOI - 10.1111/j.1556-4029.2009.01220.x
Subject(s) - impurity , mass spectrometry , derivatization , chemistry , chromatography , gas chromatography–mass spectrometry , gas chromatography , heroin , illicit drug , analytical chemistry (journal) , organic chemistry , psychology , drug , psychiatry
The illicit manufacture of heroin results in the formation of trace level acidic and neutral impurities. These impurities are detectable in illicit heroin and provide valuable information about the manufacturing process used. The isolation, derivatization, and semiquantitative analysis of neutral and acidic heroin manufacturing impurities by programmed temperature vaporizing injector‐gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (PTV‐GC‐MS) is described. Trace acidic and neutral heroin impurities were isolated from basic fractions using liquid–liquid extraction. Extracted impurities were treated with N ‐Methyl‐ N ‐trimethylsilyltrifluoroacetamide followed by PTV‐GC‐MS analyses. Semiquantitative data were obtained using full scan mass spectrometry utilizing unique ions or ion combinations for 36 trace impurities found in crude and/or highly refined heroin samples. Minimum detection limits for acidic and neutral impurities were estimated to be at the 10 −7 level relative to total morphine. Over 500 authentic heroin samples from South America, Mexico, Southwest Asia, and Southeast Asia were analyzed. Classification of illicit heroin based on the presence or absence and relative amounts of acidic and neutral impurities is presented.