Enhanced Quantitation of Amine Drug Derivatives by GC-MS Analysis

Many controlled substances fall into the family of compounds known as amines. Analysis of these drugs in crime labs represents about 30% of all drug exhibits in the US. Confirmatory and quantitative analysis is typically performed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The highly polar nature of the drugs causes strong interactions with surfaces such as the inlet and stationary phase in the GC; these interactions are problematic, especially for quantitation. Our laboratory has discovered that improved chromatographic behavior and detector response can be achieved via derivatization of the basic nitrogen with alkanoic anhydrides.