10The ability to rapidly detect illicit drugs, such as marijuana, is critical to policing legislation 11 across the country. However, it is often difficult to distinguish or identify small quantities of 12 drugs in large spaces without the aid of trained canines. A new device, the capillary 13 microextractor of volatiles (CMV), has the potential to provide rapid detection due to its ability 14 to collect and preconcentrate volatile organic compounds (VOCs) directly from air within 15 minutes. Analysis of the captured compounds can then be performed using a gas 16 chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS). This study focuses on the detection of marijuana 17 volatiles using the CMV as a sampling and preconcentration device given the hypothesis that 18 marijuana will have a distinct chemical profile, or collection of VOCs, that distinguishes it from 19 related plants and other products that could emit similar compounds. Volatile compounds from 20 the headspace of marijuana, related plants, and hemp products were extracted using the CMV 21 and analyzed with GC-MS. The compounds identified and the chemical profiles of each sample 22 were then compared to the volatiles found in the headspace of authentic marijuana samples. The 23 findings presented here suggest that marijuana plants emit volatiles that are readily distinguished 24 from the other samples tested in this study. The distinguishing compounds included α-santalene, 25 valencene, and β-bisabolene. In some cases, THC and cannabinol were also present in the 26 headspace of marijuana. Although these findings support the hypothesis that marijuana has a 27 distinct chemical VOC signature, further work to create a larger database of potential plants and 28 materials is recommended prior to routine use of the CMV coupled to a GC-MS in forensic 29 casework. 30 31 KEYWORDS capillary microextraction of volatiles, marijuana detection, gas chromatography 32 mass spectrometry, volatile organic compounds, headspace extraction 33 34
The performance of a nitrogen-incorporated tetrahedral amorphous (ta-C:N) carbon thin-film electrode was evaluated using flow injection analysis with amperometric detection.
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