Rapid Separation and Characterization of Cocaine and Cocaine Cutting Agents by Differential Mobility Spectrometry–Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

Forensic drug laboratories are inundated with cases requiring time-consuming GC- or LC-based chromatographic separations of submitted samples. High-throughput analytical methods would be of great practical utility within forensic drug analysis. Recently developed ion-mobility-based separation methods combined with mass spectrometry can often be used without chromatography, suppress chemical interferents of similar mass, and operate in seconds. We have evaluated differential mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry (DMS-MS) for performance on adulterated cocaine mixtures. The DMS interface is only a few centimeters in length, operates in seconds, and can be adapted to any MS system using atmospheric pressure ionization. Drug cutting agents, typical targets such as cocaine, and drug metabolites are rapidly separated by the DMS ion prefilter. Tests demonstrated characterization of complex mixtures, such as isolation of levamisole, an adulterant with alarming side effects, from a 13-component mixture. DMS-MS holds great potential for the analysis of drug samples submitted for forensic analysis.

Correlation between Cocaine Prices and Purity with Trends in Emergency Department Visits in a Major Metropolitan Area

“…1,33,34 However, other adulterants-especially other illicit substances or over-the-counter products-may be toxic and contribute to adverse effects. [29][30][31][32] Third, the route of cocaine administration can produce different types and levels of adverse effects. 1,25 Prior research suggests that intranasal use of powder cocaine may significantly increase the risk of an adverse reaction and snorting cocaine usually has a longer-lasting effect than does smoking it.…”

Bioanalytical methods for quantitation of levamisole, a widespread cocaine adulterant

“…In an effort to increase throughput for forensic purposes, Hall et al developed a novel method for quantitation of levamisole in forensic drug samples that utilizes an ion-mobility-based separation combined with mass spectrometry [ 34 ]. DMS-MS has been demonstrated to show enhanced selectivity and specificity as well as higher throughput compared to GC-and LC-based methods [ 34 ].…”

“…DMS-MS has been demonstrated to show enhanced selectivity and specificity as well as higher throughput compared to GC-and LC-based methods [ 34 ]. Moreover, it eliminates the need for extensive and timeconsuming sample extraction as required by GC-MS and some LC-MS/MS methods.…”

DART–MS in-source collision induced dissociation and high mass accuracy for new psychoactive substance determinations

“…Such street drugs are often ''cut'' with diluents to add bulk to the sample sold, thereby increasing profits for the drug dealer or manufacturer. Common cutting agents can include stimulants or anesthetics having their own central nervous system effects, such as benzocaine, lidocaine, and caffeine [10,20]. Indeed, work by Brandt and coworkers has shown that common cathinone mixture additives include these stimulants, among other compounds [9,10,14].…”

“…Generally, this extensive fragmentation means that mass spectra across this class of compounds are similar enough to impede the ability to distinguish between cathinones. Ultimately, the limitations associated with conventional methods for cathinone testing and analysis, the inclusion of multiple cathinones or adulterants in a single product, and the constantly changing ingredient profiles, all contribute to the sample testing backlogs that are a growing problem for U.S. crime labs and enforcement agencies [18,20]. With the continual expanding and changing field of designer drug abuse, high throughput, informative methods are needed to keep pace with ever increasing casework.…”