Electrochemical detection of MDMA and 2C-B in ecstasy tablets using a selectivity enhancement strategy by in-situ derivatization

Echelpoel, Robin Van; Kranenburg, Ruben F.; Asten, Arian C. van; Wael, Karolien De

doi:10.1016/j.forc.2021.100383

Cited by 9 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 26 publications

(39 reference statements)

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, the forensic drug testing field is demanding and requires techniques with broad but still selective detection capabilities for the presumptive on‐site testing of seized materials. 12 , 13 In the ideal situation, samples can be analyzed directly through the original packaging material. Spectroscopic techniques such as Raman 14 , 15 , 16 and diffuse reflectance near‐infrared (NIR) 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 spectroscopy have successfully been applied to detect drugs‐of‐abuse in forensic casework materials.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A calibration friendly approach to identify drugs of abuse mixtures with a portable near‐infrared analyzer

Kranenburg

Ramaker²,

Sap

et al. 2022

Drug Testing and Analysis

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Both the increasing number and diversity of illicit-drug seizures complicate forensic drug identification. Traditionally, colorimetric tests are performed on-site, followed by transport to a laboratory for confirmatory analysis. Higher caseloads increase laboratory workload and associated transport and chain-of-evidence assurance performed by police officers. Colorimetric tests are specific only for a small set of drugs.The rise of new psychoactive substances therefore introduces risks for erroneous results. Near-infrared (NIR)-based analyzers may overcome these encumbrances by their compound-specific spectral selectivity and broad applicability. This work introduces a portable NIR analyzer that combines a broad wavelength range (1300-2600 nm) with a chemometric model developed specifically for forensic samples. The application requires only a limited set of reference spectra for time-efficient model training. This calibration-light approach thus eliminates the need of extensive training sets including mixtures. Performance was demonstrated with 520 casework samples resulting in a 99.6% true negative and 97.6% true positive rate for cocaine. Similar results were obtained for MDMA, methamphetamine, ketamine, and heroin. Additionally, 236 samples were analyzed by scanning directly through their plastic packaging. Also here, a >97% true positive rate was obtained. This allows for non-invasive, operator-safe chemical identification of potentially potent drugs of abuse. Our results demonstrate the applicability for multiple drug-related substances. Ideally, the combination of this NIR approach with other portable techniques, such as Raman and IR spectroscopy and electrochemical tests, may eventually eliminate the need for subsequent laboratory analysis; therefore, saving tremendous resources in the overall forensic process of confirmatory illicit drug identification.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A calibration friendly approach to identify drugs of abuse mixtures with a portable near‐infrared analyzer

Kranenburg

Ramaker²,

Sap

et al. 2022

Drug Testing and Analysis

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“…The tablets originated from 2020 casework of the Amsterdam police. Individual pictures, sizes, colors, and identities are reported in earlier work 23 …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because this technology is based on oxidation or reduction characteristics instead of light absorption, it is independent of the color of the sample material 22 . This way, detection of MDMA 23 and heroin 24 is possible irrespective of sample shade. In line with the color tests, a drawback of electrochemical detection is the required subsampling and the application of chemicals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On‐site forensic analysis of colored seized materials: Detection of brown heroin and MDMA‐tablets by a portable NIR spectrometer

Kranenburg

Ramaker²,

Asten³

2022

Drug Testing and Analysis

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The increasing workload for forensic laboratories and the expanding complexity of the drug market necessitates efficient approaches to detect drugs of abuse. Identification directly at the scene of crime enables investigative forces to make rapid decisions. Additionally, on‐site identification of the material also leads to considerable efficiency and cost benefits. As such, paperwork, transportation, and time‐consuming analysis in a laboratory may be avoided. Near‐infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is an analysis technique suitable for rapid drug testing using portable equipment. A possible limitation of spectroscopic analysis concerns the complexity of seized materials. NIR measurements represent composite spectra for mixtures and diagnostic spectral features can be obscured by excipients such as colorants. Herein, a NIR‐based (1300–2600 nm) detection of heroin and MDMA in colored casework (i.e., brown powders and ecstasy tablets) using a portable analyzer is presented. The application includes a multistage data analysis model based on the net analyte signal (NAS) approach. This identification model was specifically designed for mixture analysis and requires a limited set of pure reference spectra only. Consequently, model calibration efforts are reduced to a minimum. A total of 549 forensic samples was tested comprising brown heroine samples and a variety of colored tablets with different active ingredients. This investigation led to a >99% true negative and >93% true positive rate for heroin and MDMA. These results show that accurate on‐site detection in colored casework is possible using NIR spectroscopy combined with an efficient data analysis model. These findings may eventually help in the transition of routine forensic laboratories from laboratory‐based techniques to portable equipment operated on scene.

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“…To overcome this, derivatization approaches using various reagents have been reported. [47][48][49][50] For example, the formaldehyde approach developed in our group successfully employs pH7F buffer (containing 30 v% formalin solution) to detect amphetamine and enrich the EP of other drugs with additional characteristic peaks. 48 When multiple target compounds have to be detected by the same single sensor, this strategy becomes cumbersome due to potentially overlapping peaks.…”

Section: Shortcomings Of Single Sensors For Multidrug Detectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electrochemical methods for on-site multidrug detection at festivals

et al. 2022

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Electrochemical detection of MDMA and 2C-B in ecstasy tablets using a selectivity enhancement strategy by in-situ derivatization

Cited by 9 publications

References 26 publications

A calibration friendly approach to identify drugs of abuse mixtures with a portable near‐infrared analyzer

A calibration friendly approach to identify drugs of abuse mixtures with a portable near‐infrared analyzer

On‐site forensic analysis of colored seized materials: Detection of brown heroin and MDMA‐tablets by a portable NIR spectrometer

Electrochemical methods for on-site multidrug detection at festivals

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