Detection of triazolam in skeletal remains buried for 4 years.
Analyses of the hypnotic triazolam from the remains of two human skeletons buried underground for 4 years were made for purposes of confirmation. The bone marrow and mummified muscle were digested with 2 M sodium hydroxide, efficiently extracted using a 3-step solvent extraction procedure, and selectively analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry with the negative ion chemical ionization mode. Estazolam was the internal standard used. Triazolam was detected in all the samples; the concentrations were 0.36 ng/g in the bone marrow of one victim, and 0.37 and 5.5 ng/g in the bone marrow and mummified muscle of the other victim. This method should prove useful for determination of triazolam in extensively decomposed bodies.
Kudo
K
K
Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Sugie
H
H
Syoui
N
N
Kurihara
K
K
Jitsufuchi
N
N
Imamura
T
T
Ikeda
N
N
D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000737:chemistry; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000473:pathology*; D005554:Forensic Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000737:chemistry; D014229:Triazolam / Q000032:analysis*
D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D014229:Triazolam