Forensic science international
July 4, 2008
Simon D Brandt, Cláudia P B Martins, Sally Freeman et al.
10 citations
DMT, a psychoactive compound, reacts with common laboratory solvents like dichloromethane (DCM) to form a quaternary ammonium salt, which can rearrange during analysis into products including 3-(2-chloroethyl)indole and 2-methyltetrahydro-beta-carboline. This study extends these findings to other halogenated solvents—dibromomethane and 1,2-dichloroethane—characterizing the resulting derivatives. The DCE derivative produced at least six rearrangement products. Using deuterated compounds helped clarify the rearrangement mechanisms. These solvent-derived marker molecules could help identify which solvents were used in the manufacture of controlled substances, a factor often overlooked because solvents are assumed inert.
Forensic science international
July 1, 2020
Ana Flávia Belchior de Andrade, Mathieu Elie, Christian Weck et al.
8 citations
The drug 25I-NBOH, a new psychoactive substance (NPS), breaks down in the hot injector of a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS), a common forensic tool, creating misleading byproducts. The main breakdown product is 2C-I, with a smaller amount of an ortho-phenolic benzyl ether (o-PBE) whose exact form depends on the solvent used. Adjusting the injector temperature, split ratio, or flow rate did not prevent this thermal degradation. Thermal analysis showed that 25I-NBOH has a narrow temperature range between melting and decomposing, making it unstable. Derivatization successfully prevented the degradation, allowing accurate GC-MS analysis.
Forensic science international
November 1, 2024
Julian Bickel, Alexander Müller, Hilke Jungen et al.
3 citations
MDMA (Ecstasy) consumption causes fewer lethal intoxications than opioids despite widespread use. Analysis of post mortem blood samples from eleven MDMA-related fatalities showed wide ranges of MDMA and MDA concentrations and enantiomer ratios. Variability in R/S MDMA ratios could be linked to the time period of metabolism. Hair analysis revealed high MDMA concentrations in all segments regardless of prior drug abuse history, indicating hair analysis may not be suitable for assessing past drug use in ecstasy-related fatalities. Elevated levels of the MDMA enantiomer correlated with longer survival times in intoxication cases, but there was no clear evidence that slowed MDMA metabolism caused lethal intoxications.
Forensic science international
August 1, 2024
Wing-Chi Cheng, Kwok-Leung Dao, Wing-Cheong Wong
3 citations
Since November 2018, the ketamine analog fluorodeschloroketamine (FDCK) has appeared in Hong Kong forensic cases. A retrospective study of drug seizures and driving-under-the-influence cases up to December 2019 found 74 drug seizure cases (151 items) and 6 drug driving cases. Most seized items contained only FDCK (about 67%) or a mixture with ketamine (about 28%), with purity similar to ketamine seizures. In drug driving cases, blood FDCK concentrations ranged from below 0.002 to 1.1 μg/mL, and other psychoactive substances were also present. The two cases with highest FDCK blood levels (1.1 and 0.87 μg/mL) may have contributed to impairment, though other drugs complicate interpretation.
Forensic science international
May 31, 2025
Paweł Stelmaszczyk, Ewa Markiel, Karolina Sekuła et al.
2 citations
A portable sensor system using screen-printed carbon electrodes and square wave voltammetry detects MDMA (ecstasy) in seized drugs. The method achieves a detection limit of 0.5 µM and a linear range of 2.5–50 µM, with high reproducibility, satisfactory precision (intra-day CV%: 2.1–7.1%; inter-day CV%: 5.4–6.3%), and excellent recovery rates (89–105%). Testing on authentic ecstasy samples gave results consistent with a reference UHPLC-DAD method. The system's manual fabrication, low cost, simplicity, and portability suggest strong potential for on-site forensic MDMA detection, even in resource-limited settings.
Forensic science international
July 1, 2023
Karissa N Resnik, Kala N Babb, Lori W Bekenstein et al.
2 citations
Two white powders bought online as bucinnazine were analyzed by microscopy, DART-MS, and GC-MS. Neither powder contained bucinnazine: powder #1 was 78.0% pure 2-fluoro-deschloroketamine, and powder #2 was 88.9% pure AP-238. The findings raise public health and safety concerns because internet-purchased novel synthetic opioids may contain different active compounds than labeled, and their toxicological risks remain poorly understood.
Forensic science international
June 1, 2025
A Y Simão, P Y Tokuyama, G Zampieri et al.
1 citation
Analysis of over 900 hair samples from drug users in São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, found that 29.8% tested positive for at least one drug. Cocaine and its metabolites were most common, with benzoylecgonine in 111 cases, cocaine in 88, and cocaethylene in 37. Cannabinoids were also frequent, including THC in 57 cases and CBN in 48. Adulterants like phenacetin (76 cases), levamisole (14), and strychnine (3) were detected, along with the synthetic cannabinoid 5F-MDMB-PINACA (5 cases) and ketamine (9). Poly-drug use was prevalent, often combining THC with cocaine or benzoylecgonine. The findings illustrate the evolving drug landscape in Brazil and the utility of hair analysis for monitoring drug use.
Forensic science international
March 1, 2023
Jiaming Zheng, Xin Wang, Jiali Zhang et al.
1 citation
A new LC-MS/MS method was developed to simultaneously extract LSD, iso-LSD, 2-oxo-3-hydroxy-LSD, and 1-propionyl-LSD from hair samples. The method was applied to hair from 18 suspected LSD users. Segmental hair analysis showed LSD concentrations decreasing from the proximal to the distal end, while 1 P-LSD was not detected in any hair segments. The authors report concentrations of LSD and iso-LSD in human hair from 18 LSD users, but note that interpreting hair analysis results for LSD remains difficult.
Forensic science international
January 1, 2026
Isabella Ferreira Melo, Leociley Rocha Alencar Menezes, Philippe Rodrigues Benedetti et al.
Between 2014 and 2024, forensic analysis of 4911 seized synthetic drug samples (1656 blotter papers and 3255 ecstasy tablets) from Paraná, Brazil, identified 64 distinct chemical substances, 50 of which were new psychoactive substances (NPS). The most common compounds were central nervous system stimulants, particularly phenethylamines. In ecstasy tablets, MDA predominated, while blotter papers most often contained NBOH series compounds. LSD identifications in blotters progressively increased, whereas NPS identifications decreased over time. Most seizures occurred in the state capital, Curitiba, with fewer in border regions. The chemical profile proved diverse and resilient, and the decline in NPS coincided with stricter national and international legislative controls.
Forensic science international
November 10, 2025
Seonghoon Yeon, Jisu Park, Byungseok Cho et al.
A new fluorinated ketamine analog, 2-fluoro-2-oxo-PCPr, was identified in a 2025 drug seizure. Its chemical structure was determined using NMR, GC-MS, and LC-QTOF-MS. Duplicated NMR signals revealed two interconverting rotameric forms in an approximately 2:1 equilibrium, confirmed by GIAO-based DFT calculations. Metabolite profiling of abusers' urine identified pathways including glucuronidation, desaturation, hydrogenation, hydroxylation, carboxylation, and N-depropylation. The primary metabolite, nor-2-fluoro-2-oxo-PCPr, was detected in both urine and hair, suggesting it may serve as a long-term biomarker. These findings provide key data for detecting and monitoring this emerging psychoactive substance in forensic and clinical toxicology.
Forensic science international
November 1, 2019
Roujia Wang, Ping Xiang, Zhiguo Yu et al.
A new method using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) was developed to measure the designer hallucinogen 5-MeO-DiPT in human hair. The method was validated and applied to 106 real cases of suspected users, finding hair concentrations ranging from 0.2 to 7532.5 pg/mg. The technique provides a way to document illegal use of this synthetic tryptamine derivative.
Forensic science international
February 25, 2010
Tim Laussmann, Sigrid Meier-Giebing
A new HPLC method using cation-exchange liquid chromatography can quantify the hallucinogenic alkaloids psilocin and psilocybin in mushrooms and the stimulant alkaloids cathinone and cathine in khat without lengthy sample preparation. Applied to seized samples, dried Panaeolus cyanescens mushrooms contained up to 3.00 mg of psilocin per 100 mg. In khat, high cathinone concentrations were found not only in leaves but also in green parts and bark of stalks. Freeze-drying fresh material preserved the highest alkaloid levels.
Forensic science international
August 6, 2008
Giampietro Frison, Donata Favretto, Flavio Zancanaro et al.
Beta-carboline alkaloids such as harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine, found in plants like Peganum harmala, Passiflora incarnata, and Banisteriopsis caapi, can stimulate the central nervous system by inhibiting amine neurotransmitter metabolism or directly interacting with receptors. Ingestion of preparations containing these alkaloids can cause toxic effects including hallucinations, ataxia, nausea, vomiting, confusion, and agitation. This report describes a case of intoxication after intentionally drinking an infusion of P. harmala seeds purchased online. The alkaloids were identified in the seed extract and the patient's urine via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, marking the first confirmed case of P. harmala intoxication with toxicological evidence.