Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 112196 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Forensic science international |
| Volume | 363 |
| Early online date | 13 Aug 2024 |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 13 Aug 2024 |
Abstract
High Kinetic Energy Ion Mobility Spectrometry (HiKE-IMS) is a technique for rapid and reliable detection of trace compounds down to ppbV-levels within one second. Compared to classical IMS operating at ambient pressure and providing the ion mobility at low electric fields, HiKE-IMS can also provide the analyte-specific field dependence of the ion mobility and a fragmentation pattern at high reduced electric field strengths. The additional information about the analyte obtained by varying the reduced electric field strength can contribute to reliable detection. Furthermore, the reduced number of ion-molecule reactions at the low operating pressure of 10 – 40 mbar and the shorter reaction times reduce the impact of competing ion-molecule reactions that can cause false negatives. In this work, we employ HiKE-IMS for the analysis of phenyl-2-propanone (P2P) and other precursor chemicals used for synthesis of methamphetamine and amphetamine. The results show that the precursor chemicals exhibit different behavior in HiKE-IMS. Some precursors form a single significant ion species, while others readily form a fragmentation pattern. Nevertheless, all drug precursors can be distinguished from each other, from the reactant ions and from interfering compounds. In particular, the field-dependent ion mobility as an additional separation dimension aids identification, potentially reducing the number of false positive alarms in field applications. Furthermore, the analysis of a seized illicit P2P sample shows that even low levels of P2P can be detected despite the complex background present in the headspace of real samples.
Keywords
- Detection, Drug precursor, High Kinetic Energy Ion Mobility Spectrometry, Ion mobility spectrometry, Synthetic drugs of abuse
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medicine(all)
- Pathology and Forensic Medicine
Sustainable Development Goals
Cite this
- Standard
- Harvard
- Apa
- Vancouver
- BibTeX
- RIS
In: Forensic science international, Vol. 363, 112196, 10.2024.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Pursuing drug laboratories
T2 - Analysis of drug precursors with High Kinetic Energy Ion Mobility Spectrometry
AU - Schaefer, Christoph
AU - Lippmann, Martin
AU - Schindler, Clara
AU - Beukers, Michiel
AU - Beijer, Niels
AU - Hitzemann, Moritz
AU - van de Kamp, Ben
AU - Peters, Ruud
AU - Knotter, Jaap
AU - Zimmermann, Stefan
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024 The Authors
PY - 2024/8/13
Y1 - 2024/8/13
N2 - High Kinetic Energy Ion Mobility Spectrometry (HiKE-IMS) is a technique for rapid and reliable detection of trace compounds down to ppbV-levels within one second. Compared to classical IMS operating at ambient pressure and providing the ion mobility at low electric fields, HiKE-IMS can also provide the analyte-specific field dependence of the ion mobility and a fragmentation pattern at high reduced electric field strengths. The additional information about the analyte obtained by varying the reduced electric field strength can contribute to reliable detection. Furthermore, the reduced number of ion-molecule reactions at the low operating pressure of 10 – 40 mbar and the shorter reaction times reduce the impact of competing ion-molecule reactions that can cause false negatives. In this work, we employ HiKE-IMS for the analysis of phenyl-2-propanone (P2P) and other precursor chemicals used for synthesis of methamphetamine and amphetamine. The results show that the precursor chemicals exhibit different behavior in HiKE-IMS. Some precursors form a single significant ion species, while others readily form a fragmentation pattern. Nevertheless, all drug precursors can be distinguished from each other, from the reactant ions and from interfering compounds. In particular, the field-dependent ion mobility as an additional separation dimension aids identification, potentially reducing the number of false positive alarms in field applications. Furthermore, the analysis of a seized illicit P2P sample shows that even low levels of P2P can be detected despite the complex background present in the headspace of real samples.
AB - High Kinetic Energy Ion Mobility Spectrometry (HiKE-IMS) is a technique for rapid and reliable detection of trace compounds down to ppbV-levels within one second. Compared to classical IMS operating at ambient pressure and providing the ion mobility at low electric fields, HiKE-IMS can also provide the analyte-specific field dependence of the ion mobility and a fragmentation pattern at high reduced electric field strengths. The additional information about the analyte obtained by varying the reduced electric field strength can contribute to reliable detection. Furthermore, the reduced number of ion-molecule reactions at the low operating pressure of 10 – 40 mbar and the shorter reaction times reduce the impact of competing ion-molecule reactions that can cause false negatives. In this work, we employ HiKE-IMS for the analysis of phenyl-2-propanone (P2P) and other precursor chemicals used for synthesis of methamphetamine and amphetamine. The results show that the precursor chemicals exhibit different behavior in HiKE-IMS. Some precursors form a single significant ion species, while others readily form a fragmentation pattern. Nevertheless, all drug precursors can be distinguished from each other, from the reactant ions and from interfering compounds. In particular, the field-dependent ion mobility as an additional separation dimension aids identification, potentially reducing the number of false positive alarms in field applications. Furthermore, the analysis of a seized illicit P2P sample shows that even low levels of P2P can be detected despite the complex background present in the headspace of real samples.
KW - Detection
KW - Drug precursor
KW - High Kinetic Energy Ion Mobility Spectrometry
KW - Ion mobility spectrometry
KW - Synthetic drugs of abuse
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85201399070&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112196
DO - 10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112196
M3 - Article
C2 - 39151243
AN - SCOPUS:85201399070
VL - 363
JO - Forensic science international
JF - Forensic science international
SN - 0379-0738
M1 - 112196
ER -