ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Page Count: 6

The Identification of Unreacted Precursors, Impurities, and By-Products in Clandestinely Produced Phencyclidine Preparations
Skowronski, GT
Senior forensic chemist, forensic chemists, and senior forensic chemist, North Central Laboratory, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, IL

Raney, JK
Senior forensic chemist, forensic chemists, and senior forensic chemist, North Central Laboratory, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, IL

Wagenhofer, RJ
Senior forensic chemist, forensic chemists, and senior forensic chemist, North Central Laboratory, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, IL

Angelos, SA
Senior forensic chemist, forensic chemists, and senior forensic chemist, North Central Laboratory, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, IL

(Received 5 September 1989; accepted 9 January 1990)

Abstract

The typical phencyclidine sample found in clandestine laboratories can be contaminated by the presence of unreacted precursors and large amounts of impurities and by-products. Although this may involve an extensive “cleanup” procedure before phencyclidine identification, the additional analysis of the sample for the impurities will often confirm the synthetic process employed. A gas chromatography/mass spectrometry procedure has been developed in which the 13 major components, including phencyclidine and piperidinocyclohexane carbonitrile, found in these typical clandestine mixtures, may be screened for and identified. The data obtained from this analysis are consistently used as an aid to the successful prosecution of “intent to manufacture” cases.

Keywords:
toxicology, criminalistics, controlled substances, phencyclidine

Paper ID: JFS12963J
DOI: 10.1520/JFS12963J
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