Measurement of nanomolar levels of psychoactive drugs in urine by adsorptive stripping voltammetry.
Adsorptive stripping voltammetry was used to determine nanomolar levels of the benzodiazepines pinazepam, camazepam, bromazepam and thienodiazepine (BrTDO) in urine. Measurements were made by differential pulse voltammetry at a hanging mercury drop electrode. The influences of various operational conditions on the stripping response were examined. The optimum accumulation potentials and accumulation times were -0.40 V and up to 60 sec for pinazepam, -0.60 V and up to 40 sec for camazepam, -0.40 V and up to 30 sec for bromazepam and -0.60 V and up to 60 sec for BrTDO, respectively. The effects of various urine components on the voltammetric response were also studied, and preliminary separation of the drugs was found necessary because of interference by creatinine and uric acid. The proposed method is appropriate for the determination of the four drugs in urine up to the 1000 ng/ml level with short accumulation periods (10-60 sec). The relative standard deviation for the 500 ng/ml level of the drugs in urine (30-sec accumulation) was less than 3%.
Hernandez
L
L
Department of Chemistry, Autonoma University, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
Zapardiel
A
A
Perez Lopez
J A
JA
Bermejo
E
E