Amphetamine In Samples Research Articles

Misrepresentation of stimulant street drugs: a decade of experience in an analysis program.

The findings of the Los Angeles County Street Drug Identification Program over the period from 1971 to 1980 for analysis of 1163 samples of street drugs represented as stimulants are presented. Of the 614 alleged cocaine samples, cocaine was found to be absent in 19.2%, found combined with stimulant substitutes in 22.5%, and found by itself in 58.3% of these samples. The validity for 473 alleged amphetamine samples was only 27.1%, with 23.0% of samples found to contain stimulant substitutes along with amphetamine, and 49.9% of the samples lacking any of the alleged drug. Seventy-six alleged methamphetamine samples showed 32.9% validity, with 3.9% of samples having mixtures of alleged drug and substitutes, and 63.2% of samples lacking any methamphetamine. A total of 15 different stimulant substitutes were found in 74 combinations. Caffeine, ephedrine, lidocaine, and procaine were the commonest substitutes.

Synthesis, Identification, and Acute Toxicity of α-Benzylphenethylamine and α-Benzyl-N-Methylphenethylamine. Contaminants in Clandestine Preparation of Amphetamine and Methamphetamine

Amphetamine samples obtained from clandestine laboratories often contain other by-product amines. The most common of these are the alpha-benzylphenethylamine derivatives. This article reports the independent synthesis of reference samples of these amines, spectrophotometric and chromatographic methods for their identification, as well as acute toxicological studies. The utility of the analytical methods is demonstrated by the analysis of several amphetamine samples containing these alpha-benzylphenethylamines.

Di-(β-Phenylisopropyl)amine in Illicit Amphetamine

Abstract Illicit amphetamine samples frequently contain di-(β-phenylisopropyl)amine as a main impurity. Its formation during the Leuckart synthesis is discussed. A method for synthesis is given. Special attention is given to its stereoisomerism. Analytical data are presented; the role of the compound in the comparison of illicit amphetamine samples is discussed.

Use of bonded-phase silica sorbents for rapid sampling of impurities in illicit amphetamine for high-performance liquid chromatographic analyses

A simple and rapid method has been developed for the extraction of impurities from illicit amphetamine samples using bonded-phase silica sorbents. The drug is dissolved in phosphate buffer (pH 7) and added to a C 8 Bond Elut™ extraction column. The column is washed with water, and the impurities are then eluted with acetonitrile. The eluate is directly injected into the liquid chromatograph. This sample preparation technique has been compared with the traditional liquid-liquid extraction method. High-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of the impurities is carried out on a reversed-phase C 18 column with an acetonitrile-water gradient as mobile phase. Peaks are monitored by UV detection at 220 and 254 nm. A series of seized amphetamine samples has been analysed, and the procedure gives detailed impurity patterns suitable for the comparison of samples. Compounds are identified by absorbance ratios ( A 220/ A 254).

The Spectrophotometric Determination of Phenylacetone in Amphetamine*

A rapid and precise method is described for the ultraviolet spectrophotometric determination of phenylacetone in amphetamine. The absorbances of ethanolic solutions of the amine containing up to 10 per cent of ketone are measured at 290 mμ and the amount of phenylacetone present read from a standard curve. There is good correlation between purity of amphetamine samples examined and their phenylacetone content.