Emerging use of isotope ratio mass spectrometry as a tool for discrimination of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine by synthetic route.
Drug profiling, or the ability to link batches of illicit drugs to a common source or synthetic route, has long been a goal of law enforcement agencies. Research in the past decade has explored drug profiling with isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). This type of research can be limited by the use of substances seized by police, of which the provenance is unknown. Fortunately, however, some studies in recent years have been carried out on drugs synthesized in-house and therefore of known history. In this study, 18 MDMA samples were synthesized in-house from aliquots of the same precursor by three common reductive amination routes and analyzed for 13C, 15N, and 2H isotope abundance using IRMS. For these three preparative methods, results indicate that 2H isotope abundance data is necessary for discrimination by synthetic route. Furthermore, hierarchical cluster analysis using 2H data on its own or combined with 13C and/or 15N provides a statistical means for accurate discrimination by synthetic route.
Buchanan
Hilary A S
HA
Centre for Forensic Science, Department of Pure & Applied Chemistry, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.
Daéid
Niamh Nic
NN
Meier-Augenstein
Wolfram
W
Kemp
Helen F
HF
Kerr
William J
WJ
Middleditch
Michael
M
D000586:Amination; D002247:Carbon Isotopes / Q000032:analysis; D003903:Deuterium / Q000032:analysis; D006213:Hallucinogens / Q000032:analysis* / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D018817:N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine / Q000032:analysis* / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes / Q000032:analysis; D019163:Reducing Agents / Q000737:chemistry; D012451:Safrole / Q000737:chemistry
D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D006213:Hallucinogens; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes; D019163:Reducing Agents; D003903:Deuterium; D018817:N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine; D012451:Safrole