title: Advanced fibre optical scanning in thin-layer chromatography for drug identification.
abstract: A systematic toxicological analysis procedure using high-performance thin layer chromatography in combination with fibre optical scanning densitometry for identification of drugs in biological samples is presented. Two examples illustrate the practicability of the technique. First, the identification of a multiple intake of analgesics: codeine, propyphenazone, tramadol, flupirtine and lidocaine, and second, the detection of the sedative diphenhydramine. In both cases, authentic urine specimens were used. The identifications were carried out by an automatic measurement and computer-based comparison of in situ UV spectra with data from a compiled library of reference spectra using the cross-correlation function. The technique allowed a parallel recording of chromatograms and in situ UV spectra in the range of 197-612 nm. Unlike the conventional densitometry, a dependency of UV spectra by concentration of substance in a range of 250-1000 ng/spot was not observed.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Legal Medicine, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, Fürstengraben 23, D-07743, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ahrens
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Blankenhorn
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Spangenberg
mesh_terms: D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer / Q000379:methods*; D003720:Densitometry; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000652:urine*; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations