Fourier transform mass spectrometry applied to Forensic Chemistry

Exploring the chemical profile of designer drugs by ESI(+) and PSI(+) mass spectrometry—An approach on the fragmentation mechanisms and chemometric analysis

“…7 Therefore, advanced mass spectrometry analyzers as high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), that is, the Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS), Orbitrap MS, and time-of-flight MS (TOFMS), are often required to provide high sensitivity, mass accuracy, selectivity, robustness, and assurance in the analysis of forensic samples. [24][25][26] Nowadays, Orbitrap MS and TOFMS are the most widely HRMS used for evaluating and determination of illicit drugs from forensic samples due to their low-cost efficiency, speed, and mainly to simultaneous qualitative and quantitative analysis by using novel targeted MS/MS methods performed on different types of hybrid instruments such as quadrupole and ion-trap. 27 Moreover, their prompt combination with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) techniques brings higher sensitivity in the study of abused drugs and metabolites in biological samples.…”

“…Therefore, the use of FT-ICR MS can provide more selectivity, accuracy, and assurance for structural elucidation of illicit drugs from forensic samples, especially when coupled to soft ionization sources such as matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI), 31 electrospray ionization (ESI), 32 paper spray ionization (PSI), 33,34 among others. 24 Among several ionization techniques coupled to FT-ICR MS commonly used in forensic analysis, the PSI and ESI are the most reported producing high selectivity, reliability, and reproducibility. Mainly, PSI is an efficient, attractive, and widespread ambient ionization technique that allows a direct, simple, fast, and nonlaborious analysis, as well as provide higher sensitivity in the detection and quantification of different types of NPS, for example, amphetamines, [33][34][35][36][37] fentanyls, 38 and phenethylamines such as NBOMes, 33,37 synthetic cannabinoids, 37 among others.…”