Cathinones: Isotopic profiling as an aid to linking seizures

Abstract

The number of cathinone derivatives available to the street market has increased steadily since 2008. Many of these compounds have proven to be potent psychostimulants and fatalities have occurred through their recreational use. The method of manufacture is essentially the same for each cathinone, i.e., (i) selection of the appropriate β-ketoarylalkane, (ii) bromination alpha to the keto group, followed by (iii) amination using the desired amine. The cathinone derivatives are usually prepared at a very high purity and little information is available from an organic manufacturing by-products profile because the product is so pure. To provide law enforcement agencies with a tool that would enable links to be identified between samples from the same production batch, the carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen stable isotope ratios in a number of cathinones were investigated. The aim was to determine if sufficient diversity existed in the light element stable isotope ratios of cathinones to allow the isotopic ratios to be used to discriminate between different seizures and to assist in linking samples from the same seizure. Careful measurement of the δ(13) C, δ(15) N, and δ(2) H values in each sample revealed that the stable isotope ratios for a particular cathinone analogue vary from one seizure to another. In the seizures studied, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen stable isotope ratios were found to vary from -32.8‰ to -26.1‰, -152‰ to +72‰, and -16.6‰ to -2.7‰, respectively. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Increasing the linear dynamic range in LC–MS: is it valid to use a less abundant isotopologue?

“…This research has focussed mainly on comparing illicit drug seizures with regard to their source. A survey of the literature revealed a large number of measured isotope ratios for individual drug and drug precursor samples . The isotope ratio variation for carbon ( n = 883), nitrogen ( n = 709), and hydrogen ( n = 567) are shown in Figure .…”

Chiral and stable isotope analysis of synthetic cathinones

“…In the second publication, forty-nine synthetic cathinone drug seizures (between 2009 and 2014), comprising a hundred and thirty-three samples sourced from Australian Forensic Drug Laboratory of National Measurement Institute Australia, were sampled for analysis of stable isotopes of hydrogen, carbon and nitrogen [55]. These seizures were identified by GC-MS to contain three synthetic cathinones, namely 4-methylmethcathinone, 3,4-methylenedioxymethcathinone and 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone.…”

“…Note that for sulfatedand highly sulfated-CDs, the actual numbers and positions of sulfate groups attached to CD backbones could vary. Replotted from the tabulated data obtained from the original article [55]. Colour is required for this figure.…”

Chemical profiling of the synthetic cannabinoid MDMB‐CHMICA: Identification, assessment, and stability study of synthesis‐related impurities in seized and synthesized samples

“…Several international impurity‐profiling programs for classical drugs have already been validated or are in constant development to cope with changes in illicit drug manufacturing and distribution. For synthetic cannabinoids, stimulants (derived from phenethylamine) and opioids, all part of the new psychoactive substances (NPS) phenomenon, few chemical profiling approaches are published . Nevertheless, the number of newly detected NPS rose every year up to 2018, with 899 individual substances reported to the Early Warning Advisory (EWA) of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) .…”