title: DART - LTQ ORBITRAP as an expedient tool for the identification of synthetic cannabinoids.
abstract: Synthetic cannabinoids as designer drugs constitute a major problem due to their rapid increase in number and the difficulties connected with their identification in complex mixtures. DART (Direct Analysis in Real Time) has emerged as an advantageous tool for the direct and rapid analysis of complex samples by mass spectrometry. Here we report on the identification of six synthetic cannabinoids originating from seized material in various matrices, employing the combination of ambient pressure ion source DART and hybrid ion trap - LTQ ORBITRAP mass spectrometer. This report also describes the sampling techniques for the provided herbal material containing the cannabinoids, either directly as plant parts or as an extract in methanol and their influence on the outcome of the analysis. The high resolution mass spectra supplied by the LTQ ORBITRAP instrument allowed for an unambiguous assignment of target compounds. The utilized instrumental coupling proved to be a convenient way for the identification of synthetic cannabinoids in real-world samples.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Theory of Drugs, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University, Kalinciakova 8, SK-832 32 Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Ladislav
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Habala
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Theory of Drugs, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University, Kalinciakova 8, SK-832 32 Bratislava, Slovakia. Electronic address: valentova@fpharm.uniba.sk.
authors.forename: Jindra
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Valentová
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Theory of Drugs, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University, Kalinciakova 8, SK-832 32 Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Iveta
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pechová
authors.affiliation: Institute of Forensic Science (KEÚ PZ), Sklabinska 1, 812 72 Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Mária
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fuknová
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Theory of Drugs, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University, Kalinciakova 8, SK-832 32 Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Ferdinand
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Devínsky
mesh_terms: D002186:Cannabinoids / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D015198:Designer Drugs / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D002186:Cannabinoids; D015198:Designer Drugs
keywords: DART-mass spectrometry; ORBITRAP; Synthetic cannabinoids