ABSTRACT
This work evaluates cocaine purity and the concentration ranges of adulterants and inorganic constituents for 31 street cocaine samples seized in two different regions of Brazil from July 2008 to May 2010. Cocaine and adulterants, such as caffeine, lidocaine and benzocaine, were quantified by Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and the inorganic constituents were determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) and ion chromatography (IC). The cocaine concentrations in the samples seized in the Amazonas state (AM samples) ranged from 154 to 978mgg(-1), and these samples did not contain any of the adulterants studied. The cocaine concentrations in the samples seized in the Minas Gerais state (MG samples) ranged from 63.9 to 753mgg(-1). Caffeine was the main adulterant found in 76% of the MG samples, ranging in concentration from 5.5 to 645.3mgg(-1). Lidocaine was found in 66.7% of the MG samples, with concentrations ranging from 16.3 to 576.7mgg(-1). Benzocaine was found in only one MG sample, at a concentration of 84.8mgg(-1). Fourteen elements were identified by ICP-OES, and a wide variation was observed in the concentrations of Ca, Mg, Na, P, Al, Fe, Mn and Zn. Pearson Product-moment Correlations between the analytes allowed the constituents to be associated with the chemicals used in the manufacturing of cocaine and with some common diluents. The study of the purity of cocaine and the presence and concentration of adulterants and inorganic constituents is important because the latter can have deleterious effects on health.
ABSTRACT
Normally, the identification of the LSD drug is performed by forensic laboratories, using the Ehrlich spot test. However, this is a nonspecific analysis. Additionally, the Brazilian Federal Police has identified the presence of a new compound in seized blotters: 9,10-dihydro-LSD, an uncontrolled substance. In this work, easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry in the positive ion mode, EASI(+)-MS, was used to characterize LSD and 9,10-dihydro-LSD compositions directly from the surface of blotters. The presence of LSD in the seized blotter samples were also confirmed via high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detector. In a set of 41 blotters analyzed by EASI(+)-MS, 28 showed positive results for LSD, seven for 9,10-dihydro-LSD, and another six samples showed negative results for both LSD and 9,10-dihydro-LSD. The combination of thin layer chromatography with EASI-MS also demonstrated to be a relatively simple and powerful screening tool for forensic analysis of street drugs.
