Quantitative analysis opiates

Quantitative analysis is done routinely for opiates (commonly done for autopsy samples) and THC-COOH, while many other drugs are quantitated on a less frequent basis. 

Schulteis, Gery, Athina Markou, Lisa H. Gold, Luis Stinus, and George F. Koob. 1994. "Relative Sensitivity of Multiple Indices of Opiate Withdrawal A Quantitative Dose-Response Analysis." Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 271 1391-98. 

Baselt, R. C., Inappropriate Use of Immunoassays as a Quantitative Tool, /. Anal. Toxicol, 13,1,1989. Staub, C., Hair Analysis Its Importance for the Diagnosis of Poisoning Associated with Opiate Addiction, Forensic Sci. Int., 63, 69, 1993. 

Amphetamine and cannabinoids can also be detected in routine analyses together with cocaine and opiates. As the frequency of positive findings is relatively low compared to the frequency of positive urine results, it may be assumed that amphetamine and cannabinoids will only be detected after regular consumption. Positive findings of THC can be confirmed by the detection of THC-COOH and OH-THC to exclude the possibility that the hair had only been contaminated by smoke. MDMA, MDE, and MDA can be detected in hair, but there is little experience with quantitative results. In routine analysis on illegal drugs, all listed substances in Figure 8 should be taken into consideration. 

A good solvent should (i) not react with the drugs being analysed (in this case, for example, with the hydroxide groups of some opiates), (ii) be volatile, to allow rapid application of a small spot of solvent and at the same time concentrate the sample prior to analysis, (Hi) freely dissolve all of the drugs of interest, so that they are determined quantitatively and at the same time no solid material is present in the mixture immediately prior to analysis after removal of the insoluble adulterants, and (iv) be free of water, to prevent deactivation of the silica gel and to reduce the risk of sample hydrolysis during the process of sample application to the TLC plate. 

The analysis of heroin samples gives rise to a different set of problems. Heroin contains a mixture of opiate alkaloids and one of these, diamor-phine (diacetylmorphine), is the controlled drug which has to be determined quantitatively. The other major opiates present in heroin can... 

---