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HEROIN ABUSE AND A GAS CHROMATOGRAPHIC METHOD FOR DETERMINING ILLICIT HEROIN SAMPLES IN SINGAPORE

NCJ Number
47275
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 23 Issue: 2 Dated: (APRIL 1978) Pages: 319-328
Author(s)
H Y LIM; S T CHOW
Date Published
1978
Length
10 pages
Annotation
A GAS CHROMATOGRAPH (GC) TECHNIQUE FOR THE ANALYSIS OF ILLICIT HEROIN IN SINGAPORE IS DESCRIBED WHICH USES CODEINE AS AN INTERNAL STANDARD. AMOUNTS OF ACTYLOCODEINE AND MONOACETYLMORPHINE MAY BE ESTIMATED BY ACETYLATION.
Abstract
AS A CONSEQUENCE OF SHARPLY ESCALATING PATTERNS OF DRUG ABUSE IN SINGAPORE, A NUMBER OF AMENDMENTS TO THE MISUSE OF DRUG ACT (MDA) WERE PASSED ESTABLISHING MUCH HARSHER SENTENCES FOR DRUG MISUSE AND TRAFFICKING. UNDER THESE AMENDMENTS PENALITIES ARE DETERMINED BY THE AMOUNTS OF BOTH MORPHINE AND DIACETYLMORPHINE IN POSSESSION. THUS A QUANTITATIVE METHOD FOR DETERMINING DIACETYLMORPHINE CONTENT OF ILLICIT HEROIN SAMPLES IS NECESSITATED. THE ILLICIT HEROIN SAMPLE IS HOMEGENIZED BY GRINDING. ABOUT 25 MG OF THIS POWDER IS THEN DISSOLVED IN 4 ML METHANOL AND SEPARATED INTO TWO GLASS STOPPERED CENTRIFUGE TUBES, AND 1 MUL IS INJECTED INTO THE GC. TO THE SECOND TUBE, 2 ML CODEINE PHOSPHATE IS ADDED AND THE CG PROCEDURE IS REPEATED. THE DIACETYLMORPHINE CONTENT OF THE SAMPLE CAN THEN BE CALCULATED FROM THE FORMULA 200A/SW, WHERE A IS THE RATIO OF THE PEAK AREAS OF DIACETYLMORPHINE TO CODEINE INTERNAL STANDARD, S IS THE SLOPE OF THE CALIBRATION PLOT FOR DIACETYLMORPHINE, AND W IS THE WEIGHT OF THE SAMPLE. AN ALTERNATIVE FORMULAR IS PRESENTED FOR USE IN CASES WHERE CODEINE IS ALREADY PRESENT IN THE ILLICIT SAMPLE. FOR ESTIMATION OF MONOACETYLMORPHINE AND ACETYLCODEINE THE SAMPLE SOLUTION WITHOUT THE INTERNAL STANDARD IS EVAPORATED AND 2 ML ACETIC ANHYDRIDE AND O.5 ML PYRIDINE ARE ADDED. THE SOLUTION IS THEN LEFT IN AN 80 DEGREE CELSIUS BATH FOR 1 HOUR. NEXT, EXCESS REAGENTS ARE EVAPORATED AND THE RESIDUE IS DISSOLVED IN 2 ML METHANOL AND 1 MUL OF THE SOLUTION IS INJECTED INTO THE CG, FOLLOWING WHICH 2 ML OF THE CODEINE STANDARD ARE ADDED AND THE PROCEDURE IS REPEATED. THE INCREASED DIACETYLMORPHINE CONTENT WILL BE A MEASURE OF THE MONOACETYLMORPHINE PRESENT IN THE SAMPLE. THE ACETYLCODEINE, NOW FREE FROM MONOACETYLMORPHINE, MAY THEN BE DETERMINED FROM THE CALIBRATION CURVE. ALL GAS CHROMATOGRAMS OF THE SAMPLES ANALYZED HAD A SIMILAR PATTERN INDICATING A PROBABLE SIMILAR ORIGIN. THE ACCURACY AND REPRODUCIBILITY DATA FOR CONTENT DETERMINATIONS INDICATES THAT THIS METHOD IS COMPARABLE WITH GC AND HIGH-PRESSURE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY. ANALYSIS OF OVER 1,000 HEROIN SAMPLES INDICATED THAT THEY ALL CONTAINED DIACETYLMORPHINE, MONOACETYLMORPHINE, ACETYLCODEINE, AND DILUENT CAFFEINE. TEST DATA ARE PRESENTED IN TABULAR FORM. SAMPLE CALIBRATION CURVES ARE PROVIDED. REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (JAP)

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