Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry Profiling of Smoke Condensate from a Seized Herbal Blend Containing the Synthetic Cannabinoid JWH-210
Synthetic cannabinoid products are commonly smoked as plant-based mixtures, yet the compounds transferred to or generated in smoke remain poorly characterized. This study qualitatively compared an unheated seized herbal product containing JWH-210 with smoke condensate generated using a vacuum-assisted laboratory apparatus. Cigarette tubes packed with 800 mg of the seized product were combusted for 1 min, and smoke drawn through the collection train was retained on a C18 solid-phase extraction cartridge. The cartridge was sequentially eluted with methanol and dichloromethane, and the extracts were screened by gas chromatography–electron ionization–mass spectrometry. Compound annotations considered mass-spectral library matches, diagnostic ions, signal-to-noise ratios, and retention-index agreement. The representative unheated extracts contained 19 annotated chromatographic peaks representing 13 unique tentative annotations, whereas, the representative smoke-condensate extracts contained 48 peaks representing 43 unique tentative annotations, including 35 observed only after smoke generation. A signal tentatively assigned to JWH-210 was observed before and after smoke generation. Two additional synthetic-cannabinoid-related library matches occurred only in the methanolic smoke extract but remain provisional because authenticated standards, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and matrix-matched controls were unavailable. These findings provide a case-specific qualitative smoke fingerprint relevant to forensic screening but do not establish concentrations, formation pathways, exposure, or toxicological risk and should not be extrapolated directly to human inhalation exposure.
Authors
- Ricardo Jorge Dinis‐Oliveira (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7430-6297)
- Félix Dias Carvalho (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3858-3494)
- João Pedro Silva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5656-0897)
- Paula Guedes de Pinho (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7395-5700)
- Filipa Pita (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1518-5971)
Institutions
- Universidade do Porto (PT)
- Cooperativa de Ensino Superior Politécnico e Universitário (PT)
- Unidade em Ciências Biomoleculares Aplicadas
Publication Details
- Journal
- Psychoactives
- Published
- 2026-09-28
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/psychoactives5040026
- Primary Topic
- Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00