title: High-performance liquid chromatography systems for the separation of local anaesthetic drugs with applicability to the analysis of illicit cocaine samples.
abstract: Two high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) systems are presented which are suitable for the separation of local anaesthetic drugs. An octadecyl-silica column is used with aqueous methanolic eluents (15 and 50% respectively) containing n-hexylamine-orthophosphoric acid buffers and data for 36 compounds are given. The HPLC systems have application for the identification of unknown drugs in this class while the first eluent (15% methanol, pH 2.5) is particularly useful for the examination of illicit cocaine samples because it gives good separation of common adulterants and impurities.
mesh_terms: D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods; D003042:Cocaine / Q000032:analysis*; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000032:analysis*; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000032:analysis*; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D000779:Anesthetics, Local; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D003042:Cocaine