title: Determination of cannabinoid and synthetic cannabinoid metabolites in wastewater by liquid-liquid extraction and ultra-high performance supercritical fluid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
abstract: For the first time, ultra-high performance supercritical fluid chromatography (UHPSFC) coupled to tandem mass spectrometry has been used to determine cannabinoid and synthetic cannabinoid residues in wastewater. Combined with a downscaled version of the classic liquid-liquid extraction, the proposed method allows for the quantification of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, three of its major metabolites (the monohydroxylated, the dehydroxylated, and the carboxylated species) and four synthetic cannabinoid metabolites (from the JWH-series) at low ng L-1levels. Limits of quantification are in the 1-59 ng L-1range, with recovery between 62 and 122% in ultrapure water and between 59 and 138% in wastewater. The applicability of the developed methodology was confirmed by the analysis of real wastewater, where cannabis metabolites could be positively quantified in all the samples analyzed. It is, therefore, a fast and simple alternative to common solid-phase extraction-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry procedures for the determination of these low polar substances in water. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Food Analysis and Research (IIAA), University of Santiago de Compostela, Constantino Candeira S/N, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: Iria
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2846-8380
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: González-Mariño
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Gaustadalléen 21, 0349, Oslo, Norway.|Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 39 Kessels Road, Coopers Plains, QLD, 4108, Australia.
authors.forename: Kevin V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Gaustadalléen 21, 0349, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Malcolm J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Reid
mesh_terms: D002186:Cannabinoids / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D025924:Chromatography, Supercritical Fluid / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D059625:Liquid-Liquid Extraction / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D062065:Wastewater / Q000032:analysis*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002186:Cannabinoids; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: cannabis; liquid-liquid extraction; sewage analysis; supercritical fluid based chromatography; synthetic cannabinoids