An automated preparation device for the determination of drugs in biological fluids coupled on-line to a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer

Abstract

An on-line, solid-phase extraction gas chromatography/mass spectrometry method for the automated pretreatment of biological fluids is proposed. Several drugs of abuse were used as model compounds. The analytes are trapped on a home-made RP-C 18 column and subsequently eluted with chloroform. The fraction of the organic solvent containing the largest drug concentration is injected into the CG/MS via a single interface. Detection limits of 0.5-10 ng/mL are achieved by using 1 mL of urine or serum; the relative standard deviation is ca. 3-4%. The selectivity of the method allows the analytes to be determined in the presence of other drugs of abuse. To demonstrate the potential of the proposed approach, the method was applied to the determination of cocaine, codeine and methadone in human urine obtained from patients in a hospital. © 1997