Methamphetamine detection

Figure 11.14 Analysis of amphetamines by GC-NPD following HS-SPME exti action from human hair (a) Normal hair (b) normal hair after addition of amphetamine (1.5 ng) and methamphetamine (16.1 ng) (c) hair of an amphetamine abuser. Peak identification is as follows 1, a-phenethylamine (internal standard) 2, amphetamine 3, methamphetamine 4, N-propyl-/3-phenethyamine (internal standard). Reprinted from Journal of Chronatography, B 707,1. Koide et ai, Determination of amphetamine and methamphetamine in human hair by headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas cliromatography with niti ogen-phosphoms detection, pp. 99 -104, copyright 1998, with permission from Elsevier Science.

I. Koide, O. Noguclii, K. Okada, A. Yokoyama, H. Oda, S. Yamamoto and H. Kataoka, Detemination of amphetamine and methamphetamine in human hak by headspace solid-phase microexti action and gas cliromatogi aphy with niti ogen-phosphorus detection , J. Chromatogr. B707 99-104(1998). 

Rats that have lost dopamine and/or serotonin terminals following treatment with amphetamine, methamphetamine, MDMA, MDA, / -chloroamphetamine, or fenfluramine show little in the way of overt ehanges in appearanee or behavior. Dr. Rieaurte (this volume) emphasized the need for more studies in primates, since MPTP-treated miee also show little in the way of observable functional changes, whereas MPTP-treated monkeys show marked neurologie deficits. It may be neeessary to do more detailed analysis of speeifie behaviors and other funetional outputs that are influeneed by dopamine and/or serotonin neurons, to detect functional deficits induced by some neurotoxic drugs. For instance, specific behaviors sueh as appetite-eontrolled behavior (Leibowitz and Shor-Posner 1986), murieidal behavior (Katz 1980), and sexual behavior (Tucker and File 1983) elieited by drugs... 

Conductometric transducers, as the oldest electrochemical devices, seem not to enjoy wide applications due to their poor selectivity. For example, Yagiuda et al. proposed a conductometric immunosensor for the determination of methamphetamine (MA) in urine [89], The decrease in the conductivity between a pair of platinum electrodes might result from the direct attachment of MA onto the anti-MA antibodies immobilized on the electrode surface. The system was claimed to be a useful detection technique of MA in comparison with a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method. 

K. Yagiuda, A. Hemmi, S. Ito, Y. Asano, Y. Fushinuki, C. Chen, and I. Karube, Development of a conductivity-based immunosensor for sensitive detection of methamphetamine (stimulant drug) in human urine. Biosens. Bioelectron. 11, 703-707 (1996). 

Burning test. The powdered cocaine is placed on aluminum foil and held over a low flame or match. The cocaine will burn clear. A sugar cut will darken and burn a dark brown or black therefore the larger the cut, the darker the burn. Crystallized speed or methamphetamine will pop when burned. Salts do not burn and remain as residue (cuts such as procaine or quinine also burn fairly pure although it is alleged that procaine can be detected by a bubbling of the substance before it burns clear). 

Radioimmunoassay (RIA) may sometimes be the method of choice for certain amines. Thus an 125I RIA method was developed for the specific detection of D-amphetamine (28) and D-methamphetamine (29) in urine, with LOD of approximately 25 pg/L. The method was compared with GC-MS and other commercially available amphetamine assays. Other drugs gave erroneous positive identification as 28 with the latter methods, whereas the results of RIA were negative377. 

Similarly, when arrays of these test resonant cavities loaded with functionalized wicks for various toxins are phase-locked to the reference cavity as shown in Fig. 15.5 they can act as detectors for targeting various toxins as well as their precursors through an array of suitably tuned cavities with specifically functionalized nanotubes. By using the approach as demonstrated in this document, it has been shown that the apparatus can be used to successfully detect low levels of toxin vapors associated with the drag Methamphetamine, in a laboratory-controlled environment. Some of the results of this study are highly sensitive in nature and are not reported in this document. These results can be obtained by other avenues. 

An array of cavities for detecting the final product Methamphetamine and its chemical precursors... 

Koide I, Noguchi O, Okada K, Yokoyama A, Oda H, et al. 1998. Determination of amphetamine and methamphetamine in human hair by headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography with nitrogen—phosphorus detection. J Chromatogr B 707 99. 

Heroin and amphetamine-like compounds (amphetamine, methamphetamine, MDMA or ecstasy, (R,R)(—)-pseudoephedrine (PS-EPH), and (lS,2R)(+)-ephed-rine hydrochloride (EPH-HCl), the last two measured together as total ephedrine) have so far only been detected in airborne particulates in Spain (Tables 5, 6 and 7). Mean heroin concentrations ranged between 10 and 50 pg/m (Table 5), with maximum daily levels reaching 80-90 pg/m. The maximum concentrations were detected in Madrid and A Coruna, and seemed to be independent of population size. As for amphetamine-like compounds, airborne levels were always below 15 pg/m ... 

In addition Choi et al. utilized FlTC-labeled methamphetamine for competitive immunoassay of methamphetamine in urine (19). Instead of purified antibody or antibody fragment, antiserum was used. An aminobutyl derivative of metamphetamine was conjugated with proteins and used as an immunogen to produce antibodies for the assay. The free FITC-labeled tracer was well separated from the antibody-bound fraction, and the detection limit for the CE assay was lower than that for ELISA. 

Methamphetamine passes the blood-brain barrier better than amphetamine, and there is evidence that chronic use of methamphetamine can result in permanent damage to dopamine neurons. Both pass the placental barrier, and there is some evidence that abuse by a pregnant woman can result in fetal abnormalities. Methamphetamine is found in breast milk. The half-life of methamphetamine and amphetamine is about 10 to 13 hours. Some methamphetamine is metabolized to amphetamine, and amphetamine-glucuronide can be detected in urine for about two days. About 50% of methamphetamine is excreted unchanged in the urine over two to three days. 

Vicks vapor inhaler, a decongestant, contains 1-metham-phetamine, listed on the container as levmetamfetamine. Use of this product results in only 1-amphetamine appearing in urine. If d-amphetamine is detected in urine, it could only have come from using d-methamphetamine or d-amphetamine-containing legal or illegal drugs. 

Doses of 5 to 10 mg methamphetamine typically result in blood concentrations between 20 and 60 ng/ml. In one study,10 six healthy adults were orally administered a single dose of 0.125 mg/kg methamphetamine. Peak plasma concentrations were achieved at 3.6 h with a mean concentration of 20 ng/ml. In a second study, Lebish et al.11 observed a peak blood concentration of 30 ng/ml, 1 h after a single oral dose of 10 mg methamphetamine to one subject. In a study by Schepers et al.,12 eight subjects were administered four oral doses of 10 mg methamphetamine hydrochloride as sustained release tablets within 7 days. Three weeks later five subjects received four oral 20-mg doses. After the first dose, methamphetamine was detected in plasma between 0.25 and 2 h the cmax was 14.5 to 33.8 ng/ml (10-mg dose) and 26.2 to 44.3 ng/ml (20-mg) and occurred within 2 to 12 h. Methamphetamine was first detected in oral fluid in this study 0.08 to 2 h post dose, with a cmax of 24.7 to 312.2 and 75.3 to 321.7 ng/ml after the 10- and 20-mg doses, respectively. Peak methamphetamine concentrations in oral fluid occurred at 2 to 12 h and the median oral fluid-plasma concentration ratio was 2.0 for 24 h. In general, the detection window for drug in oral fluid exceeded that in plasma. 

L-Methamphetamine is biotransformed in a similar manner to the D-isomer but at a slower rate. Following a 13.7-mg oral dose, the 24-h urine contained an average of 34% of the dose as L-methamphetamine and 1.7% of the dose as L-amphetamine.3 Oyler et al.13 described the appearance of methamphetamine and amphetamine in urine after volunteers (n = 8) ingested 4 X 10-mg doses of methamphetamine hydrochloride daily for 7 days followed by 4 X 20 mg daily several weeks later. Parent and metabolite were generally detected in the first or second void post dose in a concentration range of 82 to 1827 and 12 to 180 ng/ml, respectively. Peak methamphetamine urine concentrations (1871 to 6004 ng/ml) occurred within 1.5 to 60 h after a single dose. 

Oyler, J.M., Cone, E.J., Joseph, R.E., Moolchan, E.T., and Huestis, M.A., Duration of detectable methamphetamine and amphetamine excretion in urine after controlled oral administration of methamphetamine to humans, Clin. Chem., 48(10), 1703-1714, 2002. 

One of the most commonly used class of derivatization agents for diasteromer formation are isothiocyanates and isocyanates. Enantiomers of /3-blockers, amphetamine, epinephrine, methamphetamine, and mexiletine have been resolved after derivatization with these agents. Isothiocyanates produce thiourea derivatives upon reaction with primary and secondary amines. Thiourea derivatives also provide a strong UV absorbance for the detection of enantiomers lacking a strong UV chromophore. Isocyanates produce ureas when reacted with amines. The physical properties of these ureas are similar to thiourea derivatives. Isocyanates will also react with alcohols to yield carbamates. 

However signs do change with the "handedness" of the natural isomer so a higher level of distinction is achieved using CD or polarimetric detection. An enormous advantage is derived from the fact that achiral excipients, such as lidocaine, procaine, and benzocaine, often deliberately added to illicit drug preparations to complicate the chromatographic identifications of amphetamine and methamphetamine, present no interference problem whatsoever to CD detection. ORD detection was developed for the analysis of mixtures of pseudoephedrine and ephedrine [47], which because of the connection between anomalous ORD and CD, should be applicable to CD detection in the UV. 

Ukraine, each of which reported seizures of ephedrine larger than 10 kg. In the Czech Republic, over 400 kitchen laboratories used to manufacture methamphetamine were detected, although the quantities of ephedrine seized were lower than in previous years. A large part of the 65 kg seized in Hungary was made up of ephedrine tablets purportedly manufactured in Turkey by an established pharmaceutical company. No exports or diversion of pharmaceutical preparations originating in Europe were identified during Operation Crystal Flow. 

Alan Baxter lost his bronze medal in the winter Olympics in 2000 because he used an American Vick inhaler and not a British one.1,2 Note the position of the CH3 attached to the central carbon atom (Figure 2.18). The British Vick inhaler contains a mixture of menthol, camphor and methyl salicylate the American Vick inhaler also contains L-methamphetamine. This is used as a decongestant and has no performance-improving properties, whereas its optically active isomer D-methamphetamine (commonly known as speed ) is a prohibited drug and is a performance improver. However, the Olympic Committee does not distinguish between these two isomers in its detective work and chemical analysis. It therefore reported that his urine contained methamphetamine and did not report that it was the ineffective l form. The committee took the medal away from him. If they only had known their chemistry and all about optically active isomers. 

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