Quest ATR FTIR Optics Kit in Fast Drug Detection
The problem of "drug flooding" has become a serious concern in Taiwan in recent years. Drugs not only spread from the nightclub to the campus, and even the troops in the army. The drug trafficking news becomes more common. Drastic approach, drugs must be cut off from the source, even its raw materials from the importing. Stronger detection of manufacturing, trafficking, transport of drugs criminals, imposes severe legal sanctions. And the collection of drug evidence, to confirm the facts of the crime, and punish the criminals by a faster process, must adopt scientific methods, and build up an more efficient drug detection procedures, in order to improve the efficiency of identification.
The traditional method is usually "Gas Chromatography features Mass Spectrometer" (GC-MS) after the samples was screened by the "Immunoassay" method. However, GC-MS usually needs a long time in sample preparation, extraction, derivation, and cumbersome process. In the testing process, GC-MS also need professional testing personnel with drug CRMs for qualitative, quantitative analysis. The whole process is time consuming. "Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR)" is an effective drug detection method, especially when the infrared spectrometer, equipped with SPECAC Quest ATR, The "Attenuated Total Reflection" optics kit. It does not require sample preparation process, just a few drug powder, one can get the result in seconds. For the police, customs officers, FTIR with SPECAC Quest ATR is a very convenient and effective drug inspection method. SPECAC's Quest ATR attenuated total reflection optics kit is currently the most efficient, advanced infrared spectrometer equipped.
Uses SPECAC Quest ATR To Greatly Enhance The Efficiency of Drug Detection
In this application note, 12 drug samples taken from a UK music festival were analyzed by Staffordshire University in collaboration with Staffordshire Police to determine what narcotics they contained.
Roughly 1 mg of each sample was placed onto the Quest ATR, without any sample preparation. The Quest ATR was connected to a spectrometer and spectra of the drugs were recorded.
Figure 1 shows the ATR spectra of 3 common drug samples: ketamine, mephedrone and cocaine. Each drug has its own unique signal peaks and shapes, especially in the lower wavenumber region, from 1500 – 500 cm-1. The computer can quickly distinguish two samples and even identify if the sample is pure or cut with other substances.
Figure 1. ATR spectra of Ketamine, Cocaine and Mephedrone
Of course, not all seized drugs are pure and cutting agents alter the street value and chemistry of drugs. The Quest ATR can be used to detect the cutting agents.
Benzocaine is a local anaesthetic that can mimic the numbing feeling that cocaine gives. Figure 2 shows how the spectrum of pure cocaine changes when it is cut with benzocaine, a common bulking agent.
Figure 2. ATR spectra of cocaine: pure and cut with benzocaine
Buyers can be duped into buying cocaine that is actually 100% benzocaine, maximising profits for the drug dealers.
Pharmaceutical drugs like benzocaine and lidocaine are cheap over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, costing tens of dollars a kilo.
However, when cut with cocaine, they can be sold for up to $70,000! Figure 3 (overleaf) shows how the pure spectrum of ketamine differs from a sample cut with lidocaine.
Figure 3. ATR spectra of ketamine: pure and cut with lidocaine
The Quest ATR was used to test 12 unknown drug samples, in conjunction with GC-MS. 5 of the samples contained cocaine, 6 were primarily ketamine, and 1 was either lactose powder or opium powder.
This note shows that FTIR analysis allows for accurate confirmatory identification of the various drugs samples and can be used to detect cutting agents.
The ability to identify the samples so easily and efficiently is extremely beneficial to developing accurate and fast drug detection.