The Differentiation of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) from N-Methyl-N-Propyl and N-Butyl Amides of Lysergic Acid

Six amide variants of lysergic acid were synthesized to test whether electron impact mass spectroscopy (EI/MS), combined with other analytical methods, can reliably distinguish lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) from similar compounds. The C8 axial and equatorial isomers were separated by preparative thin-layer chromatography, then analyzed using gas-liquid chromatography, thin-layer chromatography, high pressure liquid chromatography, and EI/MS. The combination of EI/MS with these other techniques successfully differentiated LSD from all other amides tested.

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Abstract

Abstract The N-methyl-N-propyl, N-methyl-N-isopropy, N-butyl, N-isobutyl, N-sec-butyl and N-tert-butyl amides of lysergic acid were synthesized to determine the specificity of electron impact mass spectroscopy (EI/MS), when combined with other analytical techniques, for the identification of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). After separation of the C8 axial and equatorial isomers by preparative thin-layer chromatography, the amides were subjected to gas-liquid chromatography (GLC), thin-layer chromatography (TLC), high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), and EI/MS. EI/MS, when combined with other analytical techniques, is shown to be capable of differentiating LSD from any of the other compounds included in this study.