Acetyl codeine

For the identification of a number of opium alkaloids (morphine, codeine, thebaine, noscapine, papaverine, cryptopine, narceine) and heroin, 3-0-acetylmorphine, 6-0-acetylmorphine and acetyl codeine, Viala et al. 7 made use of three gas chromatographic columns of different polarities (SE-30 3 %, OV-1 2 % and OV-1 2 % plus Igepal 0.2 %).They obtained reliable separation and identification in this way, which was based on the difference in the retention times in the three columns. 

Sample No. Morphine 6-0-Monoacetyl-Morphine Codeine Acetyl -Codeine Heroin hydrochloride... 

Van Vendeloo et al. developed a gas chromatographic method for fingerprint analysis of illicit heroin samples, capable of detecting the main components acetyl codeine, caffeine, codeine, heroin, 6-0-monoacetylmorphine, morphine and quinine in one run in 25 min. Heroin, morphine, codeine and caffeine could be quantified directly, 6-0-monoacetylmorphine and acetylcodeine were not fully separated. Quantitation of the latter two required acetylation of 6-0-monoacetylmorphine to heroin. A packed column of 1 % OV-1 on Chromosorb G HP was used... 

A number of heroin seizures in Munsterland (G.F.R.) were analyzed by Bohn et al. with glass capillary gas chromatography. With a 12 m long column by 0.3 mn I.D. coated with Triton X 350 and temperature programming (200-250°C) a good separation was obtained for heroin, 6-0-acetylmorphine, morphine, acetyl codeine, caffeine and the internal standard, dotriacon-tan. The heroin samples contained heroin (19.1-58.2 %), 6-0-acetylmorphine (1.0-7.3 %), acetylcodeine (2.4-9.8 %), caffeine (26.5-64.3 %) and strychnine (0-1.26 %). 

One consisted of a mobile phase of methanol - water - U acetic acid (40 59 1) containing 0.02 M methanesulfonic acid (pH 3.5) in combination with a microparticulate octadecyl column. It was recommended for samples containing compounds such as barbiturates, local anaesthetics, LSD and related alkaloids. The other system made use of the same column and a mobile phase of methanol - water - 1% acetic acid (20 79 1) containing 0.02 M methanesulfonic acid (pH 3.5). It was particularly suitable for the analysis of phenethylamines and for the separation of heroin and acetyl codeine. The increased counter-ion concentration in these mobile phases compared to previously used systems was applied to reduce the... 

Gas Chromatographic/Thin-Layer Chromatographic Analysis of Acetylated Codeine and Morphine in Urine Clin. Chem. (Winston-Salem, N. C.) 21(10) 1486-1489 (1975) CA 83 201704V... 

Materials. Standards of morphine, 6-acetylmorphine, 6-acetyl-codeine, heroin and morphine N-oxide were supplied by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Special Testing and Research Laboratory, McLean, Virginia. Acetic anhydride (Analytical Reagent) was by Mallinckrodt Chemical Works, St. Louis, Missouri (Lot ZGB-B). 

Other opioids are (the more common street names are in brackets) acetyl codeine buprenorphine codeine (Captain Cody, Cody, and schoolboy) codeine-glucuronide dextromethorphan dextromoramide dihydrocodeine (DHC) EDDP ethylmorphine ... 

Heroin is rapidly metabolized to the active and specific metabolite 6-MAM and further to morphine and conjugated morphine. In turn, morphine is quickly converted to its principal metabolite M3G and, more slowly and in smaller amounts, to M6G. In general, the metabolism pathway of opiates is complex, because the taking place of several reactions of interconversion makes it difficult to certainly evaluate what a patient has consumed. For example, it is hard to understand if the patient, who has been prescribed diamorphine or morphine sulphate, has also consumed illicit heroin. The diagnosis cannot be done on the basis of morphine and 6-MAM contents, because their presence can be due to prescribed medications. Acetyl codeine would be a very useful marker for illicit heroin consumption, but unfortunately has a short half-life of only 237 min. Also through the determination of codeine and norcodeine, it is possible to evaluate whether the patient has taken illicit heroin as a source of morphine, but the interpretation is still difficult if codeine has been used in addition to diamorphine or illicit heroin. 

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