Determination of amphetamine, methamphetamine, 3,4‐methylenedioxyamphetamine, 3,4‐methylenedioxyethylamphetamine, and 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine in urine by online solid‐phase extraction and ion‐pairing liquid chromatography with detection by electrospray tandem mass spectrometry
Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry – February 11, 2005
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
A novel method for detecting amphetamines in urine achieved impressive recoveries of 85–101% using online solid-phase extraction and electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. With a detection limit of just 1–3 ng/mL, it demonstrated good linear ranges: 10–500 ng/mL for amphetamine and methamphetamine, and dual ranges for MDA, MDMA, and MDEA from 5–100 and 100–500 ng/mL. The method was validated against traditional GC/MS techniques, showing strong agreement with results from urine samples of drug users, enhancing forensic toxicology applications.
Abstract
Abstract A method using an online solid‐phase extraction (SPE) and ion‐pairing liquid chromatography with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ES‐MS/MS) was developed for determination of amphetamine (Amp), methamphetamine (mAmp), 3,4‐methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), 3,4‐methylenedioxyethylamphetamine (MDEA), and 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in urine samples. A SPE cartridge column with both hydrophilic and lipophilic functions was utilized for online extraction. A reversed‐phase C 18 LC column was employed for LC separation and MS/MS was used for detection. Trifluoroacetic acid was added to the mobile phase as an ion‐pairing reagent. This method was fully automated and the extraction and analysis procedures were controlled by a six‐port switch valve. Recoveries ranging from 85–101% were measured. Good linear ranges (10–500 ng/mL) for Amp and mAmp were determined. For MDA, MDMA and MDEA, dual linear ranges were obtained from 5–100 and 100–500 ng/mL, respectively. The detection limit of each analytical compound, based on a signal‐to‐noise ratio of 3, ranged from 1–3 ng/mL. The applicability of this newly developed method was examined by analyzing several urine samples from drug users. Good agreement was obtained between the results from this method and a literature GC/MS method. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.