title: An analytical perspective on favoured synthetic routes to the psychoactive tryptamines.
abstract: Many tryptamine derivatives are known to induce altered states of consciousness and are increasingly of interest in forensic and neurobiological studies. The analytical chemistry of certain synthetic routes to the tryptamines is discussed and likely side products and impurities identified, where literature reports are available. Recent examples from the authors' laboratory are presented to highlight future prospects and implications for analytical procedures. The aim of this review is to provide the analytical chemist with the foundation chemistry and some analytical targets to be able to undertake direct characterisation of products and intermediates. These might become available from interdiction of clandestine operations in a forensic environment or during the synthesis of the tryptamines for investigative neurobiological and clinical procedures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Instrumentation and Analytical Science, Institute of Science and Technology, UMIST, P.O. Box 88, Manchester M60 1QD, UK.
authors.forename: Simon D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Brandt
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Freeman
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McGagh
authors.forename: Norliza
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Abdul-Halim
authors.forename: John F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Alder
mesh_terms: D002623:Chemistry Techniques, Analytical / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D014363:Tryptamines / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D011619:Psychotropic Drugs; D014363:Tryptamines