The Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer as a New and Important Tool in Forensic Toxicology

Abstract

The growing use of drugs in this country has caused the work of the toxicological chemist to become increasingly difficult. More and more, the courts, police departments, and coroners have had to rely on the chemist for evidence in respect to identification of drugs. In many cases testing procedures commonly used today do not, in fact, establish the identity of a substance of interest with a desirable degree of certainty and the presumptive identification needs confirmation by other techniques.

Forensic Mass Spectrometry: Scientific and Legal Precedents

“…The same year, M. Blomquist et al provided fascinating details of 13 randomly selected cases in which GC-MS had helped to identify drugs in various biological tissues at a government laboratory in Sweden . In 1972, R. F. Skinner et al reviewed the status of GC-MS for forensic toxicology . His group had used a new Finnigan 1015C GC-MS, and most of the reported casework involved the detection of barbiturates in various body fluids “within 15 min,” assuming the instrument was in standby mode …”

“…In 1972, R. F. Skinner et al reviewed the status of GC-MS for forensic toxicology . His group had used a new Finnigan 1015C GC-MS, and most of the reported casework involved the detection of barbiturates in various body fluids “within 15 min,” assuming the instrument was in standby mode …”

“…38 In 1972, R. F. Skinner et al reviewed the status of GC-MS for forensic toxicology. 39 His group had used a new Finnigan 1015C GC-MS, and most of the reported casework involved the detection of barbiturates in various body fluids "within 15 min," assuming the instrument was in standby mode. 39 Around the same time, S. Agurell and colleagues, in Sweden, had also used GC-MS and mass fragmentography to identify drugs in various cases.…”

“…39 His group had used a new Finnigan 1015C GC-MS, and most of the reported casework involved the detection of barbiturates in various body fluids "within 15 min," assuming the instrument was in standby mode. 39 Around the same time, S. Agurell and colleagues, in Sweden, had also used GC-MS and mass fragmentography to identify drugs in various cases. 40,41 Applications included precursors of mescaline in Peyote cactus and various drugs in the blood of subjects who had recently smoked them.…”