Sensing Precursors of Illegal Drugs—Rapid Detection of Acetic Anhydride Vapors at Trace Levels Using Photoionization Detection and Ion Mobility Spectrometry

Abstract

Sensitive real-time detection of vapors produced by the precursors, reagents and solvents used in the illegal drugs manufacture represents a priority nowadays. Acetic anhydride (AA) is the key chemical used as acetylation agent in producing the illegal drugs heroin and methaqualone. This study was directed towards quick detection and quantification of AA in air, using two fast and very sensitive analytical techniques: photoionization detection (PID) and ion mobility spectrometry (IMS). Results obtained indicated that both PID and IMS can sense AA at ultra-trace levels in air, but while PID produces a non-selective response, IMS offers richer information. Ion mobility spectrometric response in the positive ion mode presented one product ion, at reduced ion mobility K0 of 1.89 cm2 V−1 s−1 (almost overlapped with positive reactant ion peak), while in the negative ion mode two well separated product ions, with K0 of 1.90 and 1.71 cm2 V−1 s−1, were noticed. Our study showed that by using a portable, commercial IMS system (model Mini IMS, I.U.T. GmbH Berlin) AA can be easily measured at concentrations of 0.05 ppmv (0.2 mg m−3) in negative ion mode. Best selectivity and sensitivity of the IMS response were therefore achieved in the negative operation mode.

Hunting for Toxic Industrial Chemicals: Real-Time Detection of Carbon Disulfide Traces by Means of Ion Mobility Spectrometry

“…The rapidity of ion separation in the gaseous phase and at atmospheric pressure is the principal advantage of ion mobility spectrometry (a single spectrum is being acquired in just several dozens of milliseconds), which combines perfectly with the outstanding sensitivity (in the low ppb v range for most chemicals). Moreover, the great comfort in the use of IMS instrumentation, which has also a compact, rugged, and miniaturized design, determines the increasing popularity of IMS—from sensing explosives [ 5 , 6 ], precursors of illegal drugs [ 7 , 8 ], or chemical weapons [ 9 , 10 ], to an increasing number of bio-medical [ 11 , 12 ] and industrial applications [ 13 , 14 ]. Moreover, the IMS technique has brought benefits in various fields, such as medicine, biology, industrial hygiene, security applications, and investigation of the environment [ 6 ].…”

Fast Sensing of Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN) Vapors Using a Hand-Held Ion Mobility Spectrometer with Nonradioactive Ionization Source

“…The logarithmic aspect of the calibration curve observed in Figure 4 is very characteristic for any IMS response obtained using a radioactive ionization source [ 1 ]. Therefore, we may infer the similarity of the quantitative IMS response generated by the hand-held ToF IMS system with nonradioactive ionization source that was used by us (the LCD-3.2E) to the quantitative response produced by any ToF IMS device equipped with a radioactive source [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ].…”

“…The crucial advantages of IMS lie in its very rapid response, the outstanding sensitivity, and the simple, very robust, and compact instruments. IMS is being utilized today for a broad range of applications—detecting traces of energetic materials, illegal drugs [ 2 , 3 ], precursors of illegal drugs [ 4 , 5 ], chemical warfare agents (CWAs), and toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) [ 6 , 7 , 8 ], plus a continuously expanding number of biomedical and industrial applications [ 9 , 10 ]. Moreover, the IMS technique was found to be useful in other fields too, such as medicine, forensic analyses, industrial hygiene, biology, space research, and investigation of the environment [ 1 ].…”

Micro-Chamber/Thermal Extractor (µ-CTE) as a new sampling system for VOCs emitted by feces

“…GC–MS systems are through the most suitable analytical platforms used for VOCs analysis 24 , because some dedicated sensors, although sensitive and fast 39 , 40 , are providing unspecific responses 41 , 42 . The analysis was carried out using an Agilent 7820A GC coupled with a mass spectrometer Agilent 5977B MSD (Agilent Technologies, Waldbronn, Germany).…”