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Fast GC-MS method for the simultaneous screening of THC-COOH, cocaine, opiates and analogues including buprenorphine and fentanyl, and their metabolites in urine

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Abstract

A fast gas chromatography (GC)-MS method has been developed and validated for the simultaneous screening of different classes of drugs of abuse in urine. Tetrahydrocannabinol metabolite, cocaine, opiates such as morphine, O-6-monoacetylmorphine (O-6-MAM), codeine, opioids such as buprenorphine, methadone, pentazocine, fentanyl and analogues and their main metabolites can be detected and quantified after a simple liquid–liquid extraction in alkaline conditions and derivatisation to obtain the corresponding trimethylsilyl derivatives. The chromatographic separation is performed in a total time of 6 min, using a short GC column (5% phenyl methyl silicone, 10-m length × 0.18-mm internal diameter). The Limits of Detection are satisfactory for forensic purposes for all the substances; the repeatability of concentrations (percent coefficients of variation) are always lower than 15% at high and low concentration levels, and accuracy, intended as % error on the true value, is always lower than 15% for all the analytes. The method can successfully be applied for screening analyses in many fields of forensic toxicology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio Antidoping, FMSI, L.go G. Onesti 1, 00197, Rome, Italy

    Sabina Strano-Rossi, Xavier de la Torre & Francesco Botrè

  2. Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Legal Medicine, Forensic Toxicology Service, C/San Francisco s/n, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

    Ana Maria Bermejo

  3. Dipartimento Tecnologie e Management, “Sapienza” Università di Roma, Via del Castro Laurenziano 9, 00161, Rome, Italy

    Francesco Botrè

Authors
  1. Sabina Strano-Rossi
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  2. Ana Maria Bermejo
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  3. Xavier de la Torre
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  4. Francesco Botrè
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Correspondence to Sabina Strano-Rossi.

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Strano-Rossi, S., Bermejo, A.M., de la Torre, X. et al. Fast GC-MS method for the simultaneous screening of THC-COOH, cocaine, opiates and analogues including buprenorphine and fentanyl, and their metabolites in urine. Anal Bioanal Chem 399, 1623–1630 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-010-4471-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-010-4471-4

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