This publication is a technical note to the white paper “Evolving Approaches and Technologies for Seized Drug Analysis” describing ultra-high performance liquid chromatography photo diode array ultraviolet single quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-PDA UV-MS).
This technical note to the white paper “Evolving Approaches and Technologies for Seized Drug Analysis” provides an in-depth explanation of ultra-high performance liquid chromatography photo diode array ultraviolet single quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-PDA UV-MS). Although gas chromatography-electron ionization-mass spectrometry (GC-EI-MS) is considered the “gold standard” for seized drug analysis, it has several limitations that are especially applicable for the analysis of novel psychoactive substances (NPS). Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with photo diode array ultraviolet spectroscopy (PDA UV) detection and single quadrupole mass spectrometry (MS) detection in series provides a highly complementary technique to GC-EI-MS. The utility of UHPLC-PDA UV-MS has been demonstrated throughout literature for seized drug screening, additional confirmation, or the generation of in-source collision-induced dissociation (IS-CID) fragment ions for increased specificity of detection. Specific examples include the analysis of cannabis, synthetic cannabinoids, synthetic cathinones, fluoroamphetamines, and fentanyl analogs. In addition, it is possible to employ PDA UV detection with much more expensive options such as tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) for even further increased specificity.