ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Page Count: 5

Distinguishing Amphetamine and Methamphetamine from Other Interfering Sympathomimetic Amines After Various Fluoro Derivatization and Analysis by Gas Chromatography-Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry
Dasgupta, A
Associate Professor of Pathology and the Director of Clinical Chemistry and Toxicology Laboratory at the University of New Mexico Hospital, Pathology Services University of New Mexico Hospital, NM

Gardner, C
Resident in the Department of Pathology, University of New Mexico Hospital, NM

(Received 7 December 1994; accepted 24 March 1995)

Abstract

Misidentification of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine as methamphetamine has been reported because of similar retention times of their derivatives in the gas chromatograph as well as very similar mass fragmentation pattern. This problem of misidentification is avoided by chemical ionization mass spectrometry using methane as the reagent gas. Chemical ionization mass spectral patterns of trifluoroacetyl, pentafluoropropionyl, heptafluorobutyryl and perfluorooctanoyl derivatives of amphetamine, methamphetamine, the internal standard d8-methamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxy methamphetamine were studied after extraction from human urine. The mass spectral patterns of all these drugs are distinctively different in chemical ionization mode from commonly interfering sympathomimetic amines, ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, phentermine and phenylpropanolamine.

Keywords:
forensic science, forensic toxicology, street drugs, amphetamine, methamphetamine

Paper ID: JFS13880J
DOI: 10.1520/JFS13880J
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