The Quantitation of Psilocybin in Hallucinogenic Mushrooms Using High Performance Liquid Chromatography
Journal of Forensic Sciences – October 01, 1983
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Quantifying the psychedelic hallucinogen psilocybin in dried mushrooms is now faster and more accurate. A new chemistry method, utilizing high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a phosphoric acid mobile phase, precisely measures this alkaloid. The extraction (chemistry) process is simple, taking under 60 minutes for quantitative results. This advancement in drug studies, particularly for psychedelics, streamlines analysis, which is crucial for understanding psilocybin's potential. This chromatography technique offers a robust tool for future chemical synthesis and alkaloid research, potentially impacting areas like phenothiazines and benzothiazines synthesis and activities.
Abstract
Abstract A method using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with an acetonitrile, water, and phosphoric acid mobile phase and a bonded cyano-amino-type polar phase column has been developed for the rapid, selective, and accurate quantitation of psilocybin in dry mushroom material. A simple one-step procedure is used for the quantitative extraction of psilocybin in under 60 min. The 267:254 nm absorbance ratio is used as a check on peak purity for the psilocybin response.