EVALUATION OF AN ORGANIC ACID DETECTOR FOR THE DETECTION OF HEROIN

• NCJ Number: 18849
• Author(s): R N ROGERS; E D LOUGHRAN; E M WEWERKA; G W TAYLOR
• Date Published: 1973
• Length: 12 pages
• Grant Number(s): NI-71-159
• Contract Number(s): LEAA-J-IAA-008-73; W-7405-ENG. 36
• Sponsoring Agency: US Atomic Energy Cmssn; US Dept of Justice
• Corporate Author: University of California
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

PROJECT WHICH IDENTIFIED THE SIGNIFICANT VOLATILES OF HEROIN AND EVALUATED AN INSTRUMENT DESIGNED TO DETECT CONCEALED HEROIN BY SENSING THESE VOLATILES.

Abstract

VOLATILES DETECTED, IN APPROXIMATE ORDER OF CONCENTRATION, ARE WATER, ACETIC ACID, ACETONE, HYDROGEN CHLORIDE, CHLOROFORM, METHANOL, ETHANOL, ISOPROPANOL, METHYLENE CHLORIDE, AND DIETHYL ETHER. THE HEROIN MOLECULE ITSELF IS NOT DETECTED IN THE VAPOR PHASE AT NORMAL TEMPERATURES. THE INSTRUMENT, BASED ON THE 'BIOSENSOR' SYSTEM OF THE RPC CORPORATION, EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA, WAS FOUND TO RESPOND WITH GREAT SENSTIVITY (AT APPROXIMATELY 50 PARTS PER BILLION) TO ACETIC ACID; HOWEVER, ITS RESPONSES ARE NOT SPECIFIC TO ACETIC ACID. OTHER LOW-MOLECULAR-WEIGHT ORGANIC ACIDS ARE EASILY DETECTED, AND SEVERAL TYPES OF ORGANIC AND INORGANIC COMPOUNDS ELICIT RESPONSES. THE DETECTOR'S SENSITIVITY IS A FUNCTION OF THE BACKGROUND CONCENTRATION OF COMPOUNDS THAT CAUSE A RESPONSE FROM THE BACTERIAL CULTURES USED. THE DETECTOR DID NOT RESPOND TO PURE, DRY HEROIN; THEREFORE, IT MUST BE CONSIDERED PRIMARILY AN ACETIC ACID DETECTOR. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT CONSIDERATION OF ACETIC ACID DETECTORS FOR HEROIN LOCATION BE CONTINUED ONLY IF IT IS JUDGED THAT SENSING SUCH A COMMON SUBSTANCE IS USEFUL FOR THIS PURPOSE. ADDITIONAL RESEARCH TO DEVELOP IMPROVED ACETIC ACID DETECTORS CANNOT BE RECOMMENDED, BECAUSE INSTRUMENTS OF ADEQUATE SENSITIVITY AND SPECIFICITY ARE COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)