Unlocking the full power of electrochemical fingerprinting for on-site sensing applications

Moro, Giulia; Barich, Hanan; Driesen, Kris; Montiel, Noelia Felipe; Neven, Liselotte; Mendonça, Camila D.; Shanmugam, Saranya Thiruvottriyur; Daems, Elise; Wael, Karolien De

doi:10.1007/s00216-020-02584-x

Cited by 38 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 133 publications

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“…First, the voltammetric behavior of these drugs is studied in various pHs and concentrations to identify their electrochemical profile. This is the particular electrochemical signal or pattern of a certain molecule in a specific analytical context 33 . Second, the oxidative pathways are unraveled by liquid chromatography–high‐resolution mass spectrometry analysis of the oxidation products formed at specific potentials.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Electrochemical profiling and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry characterization of synthetic cathinones: From methodology to detection in forensic samples

Schram

Parrilla

Sleegers

et al. 2021

Drug Testing and Analysis

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The emergence of new psychoactive drugs in the market demands rapid and accurate tools for the on‐site classification of illegal and legal compounds with similar structures. Herein, a novel method for the classification of synthetic cathinones (SCs) is presented based on their electrochemical profile. First, the electrochemical profile of five common SC (i.e., mephedrone, ethcathinone, methylone, butylone, and 4‐chloro‐alpha‐pyrrolidinovalerophenone) is collected to build calibration curves using square wave voltammetry on graphite screen‐printed electrodes (SPEs). Second, the elucidation of the oxidation pathways, obtained by liquid chromatography–high‐resolution mass spectrometry, allows the pairing of the oxidation products to the SC electrochemical profile, providing a selective and robust classification. Additionally, the effect of common adulterants and illicit drugs on the electrochemical profile of the SC is explored. Interestingly, a cathodic pretreatment of the SPE allows the selective detection of each SC in presence of electroactive adulterants. Finally, the electrochemical approach is validated with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry by analyzing 26 confiscated samples from seizures and illegal webshops. Overall, the electrochemical method exhibits a successful classification of SC including structural derivatives, a crucial attribute in an ever‐diversifying drug market.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is the particular electrochemical signal or pattern of a certain molecule in a specific analytical context. 33 Second, the oxidative pathways are unraveled by liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry analysis of the oxidation products formed at specific potentials. Subsequently, mixtures of SC and adulterants or illicit drugs are explored.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Electrochemical profiling and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry characterization of synthetic cathinones: From methodology to detection in forensic samples

Schram

Parrilla

Sleegers

et al. 2021

Drug Testing and Analysis

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The electrochemical profiling is based on the interrogation by SWV of the target molecules, which exhibit an oxidation process at characteristic potentials [30]. Fortunately, illicit drugs contain moieties that are electroactive within the potential window of carbon SPEs.…”

Section: Electrochemical Profiling Of Illicit Drugsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapid on-site Detection of Illicit Drugs in Smuggled Samples with a Portable Electrochemical Device

Parrilla¹,

Slosse²,

Echelpoel³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Illicit drug consumption is posing critical concerns in our society causing health issues, crime-related activities, and the disruption of border trade. The smuggling of illicit drugs urges the development of new tools for rapid on-site identification in cargos. Current methods used by law enforcement officers rely on presumptive color tests and portable spectroscopic techniques. However, these methods sometimes exhibit inaccurate results due to commonly used cutting agents, the colorful nature of the sample or because the drugs are smuggled (hidden or mixed) in common goods. Interestingly, electrochemical sensors can deal with these specific problems. Herein, an electrochemical device is presented that uses affordable screen-printed electrodes for the electrochemical profiling of illicit drugs by square-wave voltammetry (SWV). The identification of the illicit compound is based on the oxidation potential of the analyte. Hence, a library of electrochemical profiles is built upon the analysis of illicit drugs and common cutting agents. This library allows the design of a tailor-made script that enables the identification of each drug through a user-friendly interface (laptop or mobile phone). Importantly, the electrochemical test is compared by analyzing 48 confiscated samples with other portable devices based on Raman and FTIR spectroscopy as well as a laboratory standard method (i.e. gas chromatography – mass spectrometry). Overall, the electrochemical results obtained through the analysis of different samples from confiscated cargos at an end-user site, present a promising alternative to current methods, offering low-cost and rapid testing in the field.

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“…The electrochemical profiling is based on the interrogation by SWV of the target molecules which exhibit an oxidation process at a certain potential. Hence, cocaine oxidation peak might differ from heroin oxidation peak, showing the possibility to identify the target by the specific peak potential [15]. Fortunately, illicit drugs contain moieties which are electroactive at the potential window of carbon SPEs.…”

Section: Electrochemical Profiling Of Illicit Drugsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Portable Electrochemical Detection of Illicit Drugs in Smuggled Samples: Towards More Secure Borders

Parrilla

Echelpoel

Montiel

et al. 2021

The 1st International Electronic Conference on Chemical Sensors and Analytical Chemistry

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Illicit drug consumption is posing critical concerns in our society causing health issues, crime-related activities and the disruption of the border trade. The smuggling of illicit drugs urges the development of new tools for rapid on-site identification in cargos. Current methods used by law enforcement offices rely on presumptive color tests and portable spectroscopic techniques. However, these methods sometimes exhibit inaccurate results due to commonly used cutting agents or because the drugs are smuggled (hidden or mixed) in colored samples. Interestingly, electrochemical sensors can deal with these specific problems. Herein, it is presented an electrochemical device that uses low-cost screen-printed electrodes for the electrochemical detection of illicit drugs by square-wave voltammetry (SWV) profiling. A library of electrochemical profiles is built upon pure and mixtures of illicit drugs with common cutting agents. This library allows the design of a tailor-made script that shows the identification of each drug through a user-friendly interface. Finally, the results obtained from the analysis of different samples from confiscated cargos at an end-user laboratory present a promising alternative to current methods offering low-cost and rapid testing in the field.

show abstract

Unlocking the full power of electrochemical fingerprinting for on-site sensing applications

Cited by 38 publications

References 133 publications

Electrochemical profiling and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry characterization of synthetic cathinones: From methodology to detection in forensic samples

Electrochemical profiling and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry characterization of synthetic cathinones: From methodology to detection in forensic samples

Rapid on-site Detection of Illicit Drugs in Smuggled Samples with a Portable Electrochemical Device

Portable Electrochemical Detection of Illicit Drugs in Smuggled Samples: Towards More Secure Borders

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