Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry determination of LSD, ISO-LSD, and the main metabolite 2-oxo-3-hydroxy-LSD in forensic samples and application in a forensic case
Journal of Chromatography B January 29, 2005 Sys Stybe Johansen, Jytte Lundsby Jensen 41 citations
A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed to measure LSD, iso-LSD, and the metabolite 2-oxo-3-hydroxy-LSD in forensic samples. The procedure extracts the compounds from whole blood or urine, then uses electrospray ionization and multiple reaction monitoring for detection and quantification. The method is linear over 0.01-50 µg/kg for LSD and iso-LSD, with a quantification limit of 0.01 µg/kg. Applied to a homicide investigation of a 26-year-old man, blood concentrations were 0.27 µg/kg for LSD and 0.44 µg/kg for iso-LSD; the metabolite was detected in urine, confirming LSD use. The case highlights the need to separate isomers before detection because they produce identical fragment ions.