Real‐time electrochemical screening of cocaine in lab and field settings with automatic result generation

Jong, Mats de; Echelpoel, Robin Van; Langley, Amelia R.; Eliaerts, Joy; Berg, Jorrit van den; Wilde, Mark De; Somers, Norbert; Samyn, Nele; Wael, Karolien De

doi:10.1002/dta.3276

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…The detection method is based on the characteristic electrochemical profile of each compound, recorded using square-wave voltammetry. 9 Provided that the right pH strategy is used, key illicit drugs such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and ketamine can be detected. Heroin and MDMA can be detected at pH 5 and pH 12 10,11 and cocaine and methamphetamine at pH 12, but not at pH 5.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Although novel spectroscopic alternatives based on near-infrared technology are developed to overcome color interference, , alternative on-site electrochemical detection methods are emerging. The detection method is based on the characteristic electrochemical profile of each compound, recorded using square-wave voltammetry . Provided that the right pH strategy is used, key illicit drugs such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and ketamine can be detected.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Dual Microfluidic Sensor System for Enriched Electrochemical Profiling and Identification of Illicit Drugs On-Site

Steijlen,

Parrilla,

Van Echelpoel

et al. 2023

Anal. Chem.

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Electrochemical sensors have emerged as a new analytical tool for illicit drug detection to facilitate ultrafast and accurate identification of suspicious compounds on-site. Drugs of abuse can be identified using their unique voltammetric fingerprint at a given pH. Today, the right buffer solution is manually selected based on drug appearance, and in some cases, a consecutive analysis in two different pH solutions is required. In this work, we present a disposable microfluidic multichannel sensor system that automatically records fingerprints in two pH solutions (e.g., pH 5 and pH 12). This system has two advantages. It will overcome the manual selection of a buffer solution at the right pH, decrease analysis time, and minimize the risk of human errors. Second, the combination of two fingerprints, the superfingerprint, contains more detailed information about the samples, which enhances the selectivity of the analytical technique. First, real-time pH measurements proved that the sample can be brought to the desired pH within a minute. Subsequently, an electrochemical study on the microfluidic platform with 1 mM illicit drug standards of MDMA, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine showed that the characteristic voltammetric fingerprints and peak potentials are reproducible, also in the presence of common cutting agents. Finally, the microfluidic concept was validated with real confiscated samples, showing promising results for the user-friendly identification of drugs of abuse. In short, this paper presents a successful proof-of-concept study of a multichannel microfluidic sensor system to enrich the fingerprints of illicit drugs at pH 5 and pH 12, thus providing a low-cost, portable, and rapid identification system of illicit drugs with minimal user intervention.

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Dual Microfluidic Sensor System for Enriched Electrochemical Profiling and Identification of Illicit Drugs On-Site

Steijlen,

Parrilla,

Van Echelpoel

et al. 2023

Anal. Chem.

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Evaluation of an electrochemical sensor and comparison with spectroscopic approaches as used today in practice for harm reduction in a festival setting—A case study: Analysis of 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine samples

Deconinck,

Polet,

Canfyn

et al. 2023

Drug Testing and Analysis

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More and more countries and organisations emphasise the value of harm reduction measures in the context of illicit drug use and abuse. One of these measures is drug checking, a preventive action that can represent a quick win by tailored consultation on the risks of substance use upon analytical screening of a submitted sample. Unlike drop‐in centres that operate within a fixed setting, enabling drug checking in a harm reduction context at events requires portable, easy to use analytical approaches, operated by personnel with limited knowledge of analytical chemistry. In this case study, four different approaches were compared for the characterisation of 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine samples and this in the way the approaches would be applied today in an event context. The four approaches are mid‐infrared (MIR), near‐infrared, and Raman spectroscopy, which are today used in drug checking context in Belgium, as well as an electrochemical sensor approach initially developed in the context of law enforcement at ports. The MIR and the electrochemical approach came out best, with the latter allowing for a direct straightforward analysis of the percentage 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (as base equivalent) in the samples. However, MIR has the advantage that, in a broader drug checking context, it allows to screen for several molecules and so is able to identify unexpected active components or at least the group to which such components belong. The latter is also an important advantage in the context of the growing emergence of new psychotropic substances.

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Progress on the Electrochemical Sensing of Illicit Drugs

Van Echelpoel,

Joosten,

Parrilla

et al. 2023

Trends in Biosensing Research

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Real‐time electrochemical screening of cocaine in lab and field settings with automatic result generation

Cited by 6 publications

References 24 publications

Dual Microfluidic Sensor System for Enriched Electrochemical Profiling and Identification of Illicit Drugs On-Site

Dual Microfluidic Sensor System for Enriched Electrochemical Profiling and Identification of Illicit Drugs On-Site

Evaluation of an electrochemical sensor and comparison with spectroscopic approaches as used today in practice for harm reduction in a festival setting—A case study: Analysis of 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine samples

Progress on the Electrochemical Sensing of Illicit Drugs

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