NCJ Number
246589
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 59 Issue: 2 Dated: March 2014 Pages: 337-343
Date Published
March 2014
Length
7 pages
Annotation
Direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry DART-MS served as a method for rapid high-throughput screening of six commercially available Spice products, detecting various combinations of five synthetic cannabinoids.
Abstract
Direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry DART-MS served as a method for rapid high-throughput screening of six commercially available Spice products, detecting various combinations of five synthetic cannabinoids. Direct analysis in real time is an ambient ionization process that, along with high mass accuracy time-of-flight TOF-MS to 0.0001 Da, was employed to establish the presence of cannabinoids. Mass spectra were acquired by simply suspending a small portion of sample between the ion source and the mass spectrometer inlet. The ability to test minute amounts of sample is a major advantage when very limited amounts of evidentiary material are available. In addition, reports are widespread regarding the testing backlogs that now exist because of the large influx of designer drugs. This method circumvents time-consuming sample extraction, derivatization, chromatographic, and other sample preparative steps required for analysis by more conventional mass spectrometric methods. Accordingly, the synthetic cannabinoids AM-2201, JWH-122, JWH-203, JWH-210, and RCS-4 were identified in commercially available herbal Spice products, singly and in tandem, at concentrations within the range of 4-141 mg/g of material. Direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry decreases the time necessary to triage analytical evidence, and therefore, it has the potential to contribute to backlog reduction and more timely criminal prosecution.