Rapid Screening for the Detection and Differentiation of Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate Using Ion Chromatography

• NCJ Number: 236201
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 56 Issue: 5 Dated: September 2011 Pages: 1256-1260
• Author(s): Rachel R. Hughes, B.Sc.; G. Stewart Walker, Ph.D.
• Date Published: September 2011
• Length: 5 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Flinders University, South Australia; South Australian Justice Dept
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Presented in part at the 19th Australian and New Zealand Forensic Science Society (ANZFSS) International Symposium on the Forensic Sciences, October 6–9, 2008, in Melbourne, Australia; at the 16th RACI R&D Topics Conference, December 8–10, 2008, in Sydney, Australia; at the 42nd IUPAC Congress, August 2–7, 2009, in Glasgow, Scotland, U.K.; and at the 20th ANZFSS International Symposium on the Forensic Sciences, September 5–9, 2010, in Sydney, Australia.

Annotation

This paper presents a new method utilizing ion-exchange chromatography (IC) with conductivity detection.

Abstract

The analysis of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) is problematic because it is hygroscopic, it lacks a good UV chromophore, and it undergoes heat-induced cyclization. This paper presents a new method utilizing ion-exchange chromatography (IC) with conductivity detection. The simple sample preparation, rapid analysis time, and inorganic anion detection capabilities are all advantages over the current methods. The detection of inorganic salts (formed during GHB synthesis) gives insight into the synthetic route utilized and can aid in drug seizure comparison. The developed method has a detection limit for GHB anions of 0.57 mg/L and chloride of 0.22 mg/L. A comparison of this technique with a current gas chromatography-mass spectrometry technique is presented, and a t-test found that the two methods' results are not statistically different at the 99.9 percent confidence level demonstrating the merits of this fast, simple, and informative IC method as a routine screening tool. (Published Abstract)