Rapid Determination of the Primary Alkaloids in Illicit Heroin by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Tandem Mass Spectrometry (HPLC–MS/MS)

Abstract

In addition to currently used methods of gas chromatography with flame ionization detector or mass spectroscopy detection (GC–FID and GC–MS) for the analysis of seized heroin, a novel rapid high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS/MS) method for detection and quantification of the main alkaloids was developed. This method for detection and quantification of heroin, papaverine, noscapine, and acetyl thebaol was validated and applied to analysis of seized heroin street samples. The method is rapid (6 min) and implies a low solvent consumption (0.75 mL min⁻¹), suitable as an alternative method for GC–MS for heroin samples stored at elevated temperatures. The method was successfully tested on seized heroin samples.

Keywords:

• Forensic profiling
• heroin
• high-performance liquid chromatography
• HPLC–MS/MS
• illicit drug
• mass spectrometry

Additional information

Funding

This work was financially supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Republic of Serbia (Contract number: 451-03-68/2020-14/200222 and 451-03-68/2020-14/200125) and IAEA CRP support under contract number 23159/RO.