ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Published Online: 1 September 2002
Page Count: 6

Trace Elemental Analysis of Drugs of Abuse Using Synchrotron Radiation Total Reflection X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis (SR-TXRF)
Matsui, J
Associate professor and professor, Faculty of Science, Himeji Institute of Technology,

Muratsu, S
Forensic chemist and director, Forensic Science Laboratory, Hyogo Prefectural Police Headquarters,

Ninomiya, T
Forensic chemist and director, Forensic Science Laboratory, Hyogo Prefectural Police Headquarters,

Kagoshima, Y
Associate professor and professor, Faculty of Science, Himeji Institute of Technology,

(Received 10 April 2002; accepted 6 April 2002)

Abstract

Synchrotron radiation total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (SR-TXRF) was utilized to analyze various trace elements in small amounts of drugs of abuse. Sample amounts of 1 L solutions containing 10 g of drugs (methamphetamine, amphetamine, 3,4-methylene-dioxymethamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin) were spotted on silicon wafers for direct analysis. In addition, a leaflet of marijuana was set directly on a silicon wafer, and opium in the form of a soft lump was smeared on another silicon wafer for analysis. In these experiments, about 10 pg of contaminant elements could be detected. For example, in a seized methamphetamine sample, iodine was found, which could be indicative of syn-thetic route. In seized 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine samples, variable amounts of phosphorus, calcium, sulfur, and potassium were found, which could not be detected in a control 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine sample. For marijuana and opium, two spectral patterns were ob-tained that were far different from each other and could be easily discriminated. Using SR-TXRF, pg amounts of each trace element in 10 g of var-ious drugs can be easily detected, which is not the case either for a standard TXRF experimental system or for other elemental analysis techniques.

Keywords:
forensic science, total reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis, synchrotron radiation, drugs of abuse, inorganic impurity, trace elemental analysis, impurity profiling

Paper ID: JFS15500J
DOI: 10.1520/JFS15500J
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