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Title: Analysis of Powders Containing Illicit Drugs Using Magnetic Levitation

Journal Article · · Angewandte Chemie (International Edition)

Magneto-Archimedes levitation (MagLev) enables the separation of powdered mixtures of illicit drugs (cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, and its analogues), adulterants, and diluents based on density, and allows the presumptive identification of individual components. Small samples (mass <50 mg), with low concentrations of illicit drugs, present a particular challenge to analysis for forensic chemists. The MagLev device, a cuvette containing a solution of paramagnetic gadolinium(III) chelate in a non-polar solvent, placed between two like-poles-facing NdFeB magnets, allowed separation of seven relevant compounds simultaneously. In particular, initial separation with MagLev, followed by characterization by FTIR-ATR, enabled identification of fentanyl in a sample of fentanyl-laced heroin (1.3 wt % fentanyl, 2.6 wt % heroin, and 96.1 wt % lactose). MagLev allows identification of unknown powders in mixtures and enables confirmatory identification based on structure-specific techniques.

Research Organization:
West Virginia Univ., Morgantown, WV (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
Grant/Contract Number:
FG02-01ER45862; ER45862
OSTI ID:
1800028
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1577192
Journal Information:
Angewandte Chemie (International Edition), Vol. 59, Issue 2; ISSN 1433-7851
Publisher:
WileyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 16 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (1)

Evolving Magnetically Levitated Plasma Proteins Detects Opioid Use Disorder as a Model Disease journal January 2020