ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Page Count: 8

Documentation of a Doxylamine Overdose Death: Quantitation by Standard Addition and Use of Three Instrumental Techniques
Siek, TJ
Forensic Chemists, Analytic Bio-Chemistries, PA

Dunn, WA
Forensic Chemists, Analytic Bio-Chemistries, PA

(Received 29 June 1992; accepted 9 September 1992)

Abstract

To answer the question. “Is this death due to a drug overdose?” requires at least that the drug be unequivocally identified and a blood concentration reliably determined. The approach taken in this case as standard addition technique and use of three different chromatographic techniques—high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), high performance thin—layer chromatography (HP-TLC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Each of the chromatographies was carried out on the same extract by splitting the residue three ways. HPLC provided a quantitative result which was 1.2 mg/L in blood and HP-TLC and GC/MS confirmed this result with additional quantitative data, information about two metabolites (nordoxylamine and dinordoxylamine) and conclusive identification. Blood nordoxylamine was 0.52 mg/L and doxylamine plus metabolites in urine was 25 mg/L.

Keywords:
toxicology doxylamine overdose, standard addition technique, instrumental TLC, calibration matrix, postmortem blood determination

Paper ID: JFS13460J
DOI: 10.1520/JFS13460J
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