The identification and determination of lysergic acid diethylamide in narcotic seizures

Abstract

Methods are described by which lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) can be identified and determined in the presence of heroin, other narcotics and controlled drugs. Thin layer chromatography and an Ehrlich's‐reagent spray is applied to the LSD‐containing material. For confirmation, thin layer chromatography after ultra‐violet irradiation and acid hydrolysis should be carried out where ergot alkaloids are present. Spectrophotofluorometric analysis of LSD can be used in the presence of heroin, other narcotics and controlled drugs with a standard error of ±2%. If ergot alkaloids are present, thin layer separation, elution and subsequent fluorometric analysis are recommended.

The chromatographic identification of psychotropic drugs

“…Our preliminary results with the Genest & Farmilo (1964) system have been reported (Government Chemist, 1968) and revealed satisfactory agreement with other published Rf values (Genest & Farmilo, 1964;French & Wehrli, 1965;Clarke, 1967a). We now publish fuller details of studies undertaken with authentic and seizure samples, comment on visualization techniques and secondary spots, and describe a convenient adaptation of the Genest & Farmilo (1 964) conditions to commercially available silica impregnated polyester ("Chromagram") sheets as a rapid screening procedure for suspected erganes.…”

“…Moreover, a considerable proportion of salts or amines remained at the start when run in neutral conditions. More surprisingly, limited mobility was also found to apply to the basic plate, using chloroform-methanol (9 : 1) (IIC) (Genest & Farmilo, 1964). Better mobility was found with the solvent mixture E (Fike, 1966) but this did not appear to separate amphetamine from methylamphetamine.…”

“…Martin & Alexander (1967) subsequently reported that the FDA use acetone mobile phase for the separation of LSD, lysergamide (LAA) and lysergic acid seized from clandestine laboratories. Genest & Farmilo (1964) devized a different system to separate LSD and LAA from a number of ergot alkaloids and their various 8cr-isomers, as well as from amphetamine, methylamphetamine and six narcotics. They used a basic plate (silica impregnatedwith 0.1 N sodium hydroxide) developed with chloroform-methanol (9 : 1) ; spots-not always the same ones-were visualized with dimethylaminobenzaldehyde spray and in ultraviolet light.…”

Microcrystalloptic tests for lysergic acid diethylamide and other hallucinogens

“…They are mainly based on thin-layer chromatography (TLC), gaschromatography, spectrofluorometry or infrared spectroscopy (e.g. Genest & Farmilo, 1964;Dal Cortivo & Broich, 1966;Look, 1968;Genest & Hughes, 1969;Andersen, 1969;Katz, Tadjera & Aufricht, 1969;Lerner & Katsiaficas, 1969 ;Mesley & Evans, 1969). Clarke (1969), in his recent handbook pointed out the usefulness of microcrystal tests for identification purposes.…”

The Alkaloids of Fungi

“…Further identification of the peptide-type alkaloids was carried out through studying the products obtained after their acid hydrolysis [8]. The liberated amino acids were identified on TLC plates using the following solvent systems: VI.…”