Analysis of Carbohydrates in Seized Heroin Using Capillary Electrophoresis

Abstract

Illicitly produced heroin is commonly cut with carbohydrates to increase bulk. The analysis of these solutes is important for legal and intelligence purposes. A capillary electrophoresis (CE) method was developed for the qualitative analysis of dextrose, lactose, sucrose, inositol, and mannitol in heroin exhibits. For this method, a 64 cm (55.5 cm to detector window) by 50 mum capillary was used with the Agilent Basic Anion Buffer modified to pH 12.1. This separation was performed at 25 degrees C with a voltage of 20 kV and indirect detection with 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid as the visualization reagent. The methodology is also applicable for the screening of inorganic and organic anions using indirect detection, and acidic adulterants using direct detection. For a run time of 13 min, the relative standard deviation (n = 6) of the methodology was better than 0.36% for migration times and less than 2.6% for corrected peak areas. For the analysis of carbohydrates and acidic adulterants in seized heroin, excellent agreement was obtained between CE and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Recent advances in the applications of CE to forensic sciences (2005–2007)

“…The separation was run in the short end of the capillary, under reversed polarity, resolving all the sugars within 5 min [15]. An alternative, more sophisticated, approach was proposed by Lurie et al [16] by using a pH-adjusted Agilent Anion buffer, indirect detection and 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid as visualization agent. Under these conditions, although with longer analysis times, the determination of dextrose, lactose, sucrose, inositol and mannitol in heroin matrices was achieved.…”

Capillary electrophoresis of natural products: Highlights of the last five years (2006–2010)

“…A good number of separations used UV detection in toxicological compounds analysis 311–328, followed by ECL 152, 155–157, 329, MS 330–333, and LIF 152, 160.…”

Important electromigration effects of carbon dioxide in capillary electrophoresis at high pH

“…As these kinds of analytes are generally not detectable by direct UV‐absorption, other methods are used that allow their detection without derivatization, most commonly indirect UV‐absorption or conductivity. Indirect UV detection has been used in high‐pH CZE of small inorganic and organic anions 4–8, amino acids 4, 6, 9–14 and sugars 4, 15–22. For this purpose, there are a sufficient number of suitable absorbing probes with satisfactory values of extinction coefficients available.…”

“…For this purpose, there are a sufficient number of suitable absorbing probes with satisfactory values of extinction coefficients available. They are mostly organic aromatic acids as pyridine‐2,6‐dicarboxylic (PDC) 5–7, 10, 15–17, salicylic 11, 12, nicotinic 11, p ‐aminosalicylic (PAS) 11, benzoic 11, 12, p ‐aminobenzoic 11, 14, sorbic 11, 19, ( N , N ‐dimethyl)benzoic 11, phthalic 12 or 1‐naphtylacetic acid 18, or inorganic anions like chromate 8, 23. Conductivity detection in high‐pH BGEs has been used, e.g.…”