Quick Test for Determination of N-Bombs (PhenethylamineDerivatives NBOMe) Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography:A Comparison between Photodiode Array and Amperometric Detection

摘要

The emergence of a new class of novel psychoactive substances, N-benzyl-substituted phenethylamine derivatives so-called “NBOMes” or “Smiles”, in the recreational drug market has forced the development of new sensitive analytical methodologies for their detection and quantitation. NBOMes’ hallucinogenic effects mimic those of the illegal psychedelic drug lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and are typically sold as LSD on blotter papers, resulting in a remarkable number of fatalities worldwide. In this article, four halide derivatives of NBOMe, namely, 2-(4-fluoro-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-N-(2-methoxybenzyl)ethan-1-amine, 2-(4-chloro-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-N-(2-methoxybenzyl)ethan-1-amine, 2-(4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-N-(2-methoxybenzyl)ethan-1-amine, and 2-(4-iodo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-N-(2-methoxybenzyl)ethan-1-amine, were detected and quantified simultaneously using a high-performance liquid chromatographic method, and two detection systems were compared: photodiode array detection (detection system I) and amperometric detection via a commercially available impinging jet flow-cell system incorporating embedded graphite screen-printed macroelectrodes (detection system II). Under optimized experimental conditions, linear calibration plots were obtained in the concentration range of 10–300 and 20–300 μg mL^–1, for detection systems I and II, respectively.Detection limit (limit of detection) values were between 4.6–6.7and 9.7–18 μg mL^–1, for detection systemsI and II, respectively. Both detectors were employed for the analysisof the four NBOMe derivatives in the bulk form, in the presence ofLSD and adulterants commonly found in street samples (e.g. paracetamol,caffeine, and benzocaine). Furthermore, the method was applied forthe analysis of simulated blotter papers, and the obtained percentagerecoveries were satisfactory, emphasizing its advantageous applicabilityfor the routine analysis of NBOMes in forensic laboratories.