ABSTRACT
A pilot study was conducted to differentiate various brands of alcoholic beverages commonly sold in Hyderabad city (Andhra Pradesh, India). Various brands of liquor were scanned up to parts per billion (PPB) level for more than 72 elements using the following method – Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES). The results obtained showed significant difference in the elemental profiles of various brands of liquor. Absence of some elements such as copper showed marker parameter for the liquor brands. This survey shows that trace elemental profiling could be a reliable method for differentiating various brands of liquor.
ABSTRACT
A new gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) method is being presented for the separation and detection of strychnine and brucine, alkaloids of Strychnos nux vomica in a single run. The analysis was carried out using 5% phenyl methyl silicone capillary column, electron impact ionization mode and quadrupole mass analyzer. The extracts of the exhibits were analyzed using the new method. The peaks of the two alkaloids were found to be well resolved, and there was clear separation between the two. The retention time and mass fragmentation pattern, base peaks, molecular peaks of strychnine and brucine standard/NIST library and crime case exhibits matched, establishing the presence of the two active principles of Strychnos nux vomica. The new method has the advantage of better separation of the two alkaloid peaks over the conventional GC-MS methods, and is useful for the identification and confirmation of Strychnos nux vomica constituents in biological matrices of poisoning cases that have ended in death.