Forensic drug analysis screening

CE offers two powerful modes of separation for the forensic drugs, which can be complementary to each other, CZE and MEKC. Early work has shown the promise of CE for drug analysis. Drug screening by CE is a very enormous task, which requires large effort for building up a computerized database for all the controlled substances with their mobility and spectral data. 

Steiner, R.R. and Larson, R.L. 2009. Validation of the direct analysis in real time source for use in forensic drug screening, J. Forensic ScL, 54 617-622. 

The forensic scientist has multiple analytic techniques available. Some are screening tests that may not absolutely identify the chemical in question but narrow the number of possibilities. Subsequently, the analyst will perform confirmatory tests in which the chemical is positively identified. It is important to remember that even though the analysis may reveal the presence of a drug, there may be a legitimate reason for such a finding. We will discuss such examples in individual chapters. 

Solvent Extraction Principles. Forensic Sciences Drug Screening in Sport Systematic Drug Identification. Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry Chiral Separations. Immunoassays, Techniques Enzyme Immunoassays Luminescence Immunoassays. Liquid Chromatography Column Technology. Pharmaceutical Analysis Sample Preparation. 

MS is accepted as an indispensable technique in the analysis of drugs and their fate in the body. Lately, there has been an increase in the frequency of xenobiotic studies that have taken advantage of tandem MS to screen complex biological samples for the presence of drug-related products. But mostly MS is used in combination with a separation technique (e.g., chromatography) in forensic science. 

The extent to which thin-layer chromatography (TLC) is used in forensic investigations varies considerably from laboratory to laboratory and is now very dependent on the alternative analytical techniques to be found within any particular laboratory. Invariably TLC is but one of a number of techniques that could be used for a particular analysis. On many occasions the alternatives are likely to be more precise and/or specific than TLC and, since these criteria are usually of paramount importance, are likely to be used preferentially. For example, the combination of radioimmunoassay, to carry out the rapid screening of samples for the presence of a member of a particular class of drug, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for the identification or confirmation of the presence of a particular drug, is likely to provide a more precise and sensitive analysis than will the use of TLC. 

See alsa Chromatography Multidimensional Techniques. Environmental Analysis. Extraction Solid-Phase Extraction. Food and Nutritional Analysis Sample Preparation Contaminants Pesticide Residues. Forensic Sciences Drug Screening in Sport Illicit Drugs. Herbicides. Liquid Chromatography Instrumentation Clinical Applications Food Applications. Mass Spectrometry Peptides and Proteins. Pesticides. Pharmaceutical Analysis Sample Preparation. Proteomics. Sample Handling Automated Sample Preparation. Water Analysis Organic Compounds. 

See also Bioassays Oven/iew Microbial Tests. Clinical Analysis Overview. Food and Nutritional Analysis Overview. Forensic Sciences Overview Drug Screening in Sport. History of Analytical Science. Microscopy Overview. Spot Tests. Structural Elucidation. 

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