Application note: Rapid identification of illicit drug substances using thermal desorption coupled with a portable toroidal trap GC/MS system

This study describes the injection, separation, and identification of 16 drugs compounds in less than 10 minutes using portable gas chromatograph-toroidal ion trap mass spectrometry (PerkinElmer, Torion® T-9 Portable GC/MS) combined with a coiled-wire-filament (CWF) sampling injector to provide an effective tool for onsite analysis of illicit drugs substances…

The misuse of drug substances creates the need for advancements in the ability to rapidly determine the type of chemical compound present. Gas chromatographymass spectrometry (GC/MS) has regularly been used by scientists to detect the presence of pain medication in the laboratory. Fortunately, novel innovation and miniaturization of GC/MS instrumentation are making this technique available for in-field investigators and researchers, which offers a simple, prompt, and onsite identification of a drug substance.

This study describes the injection, separation, and identification of 16 drugs compounds in less than 10 minutes using portable gas chromatograph-toroidal ion trap mass spectrometry (PerkinElmer, Torion® T-9 Portable GC/MS) combined with a coiled-wire-filament (CWF) sampling injector to provide an effective tool for onsite analysis of illicit drugs substances.