NCJ Number
211276
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 50 Issue: 5 Dated: September 2005 Pages: 1039-1043
Date Published
September 2005
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This study examined a method to rapidly separate carbohydrates in heroin drug seizure samples using capillary electrophoresis with borate complexation and short-end injection.
Abstract
Illicitly produced heroin is never pure; it contains numerous manufacturing by-products, adulterants, and diluents. Diluents, often carbohydrates, are substances that are added to illicit heroin to expand bulk and increase profits, usually forming a significant part of the drug sample. Even though high performance liquid chromatography is widely used for the analysis of carbohydrates, there is need to improve the separation efficiency. This study examined the potential of capillary electrophoresis in providing rapid and efficient separations for forensic analysis, which was first demonstrated by Weinberger and Lurie. A rapid method for the determination of carbohydrates in heroin seizures by capillary electrophoresis is described. A simple borate complexation method with the addition of an internal standard to the buffer provided satisfactory results for synthetic and seized heroin samples. The study demonstrates the utility of the short end technique (short-end injection) to rapid forensic analysis which has the potential to greatly improve sample throughput. Tables, references