The Turkish Journal Of Occupational / Environmental Medicine and Safety

Abstract

Amphetamine is a
synthetic stimulant of the central nervous system. It was first synthesized in
1887 by German chemist L. Edeleano, however the stimulant effects were not
noticed. In early 1930s, stimulant properties of amphetamine were discovered.
Thus, it was marketed as an inhaller for nasal congestion. During World War II,
the military in the United States, Great Britain, Germany, and Japan used
amphetamines to increase alertness and endurance and to improve mood. The
origin of the amphetamine sold as Captagon is unknown. Conventionally, the
substance was believed to have been manufactured illicitly in South-East Europe,
notably Bulgaria, and trafficked to the region, often transiting Turkey by air
or sea. Amphetamine causes hypertension and tachycardia with feelings of
increased confidence, sociability and energy. After oral administration, the
effects usually start in 30 minutes and last for many hours. This study
intended to develop and optimize GC-MS method for analysis of amphetamines in
synthetic tables which were seized in 15 different places and times and sent to
the Ankara Police Forensic Laboratory, Gölbaşı, Turkey. The GC-MS system
equipped with an Agilent Technologies (CA, USA) 6890, a gas chromatograph and
an Agilent 7683B auto injector coupled with a 5973 inert Agilent electron
impact (EI) mass spectrometer was utilized for the identification of
amphetamines in synthetic tables. In order to validate the method in terms of
precision and recovery; certified reference standard of d-amphetamin. HCL and
paracetamol were analyzed for ten times. A secondary standard of amphetamine
prepared at the concentration of 0.30 mg/ mL was analyzed for ten times. Mean
amphetamine concentration was found 0.30±8.44x10-3 where percent relative
standard deviation was calculated as 2.84%. Successful percent recovery values
were ranged between 94.64% and 100.49 while GC-MS method for amphetamine
analysis provided LOD and LOQ values equal to 0.0117 mg/mL and 0.0391 mg/mL,
respectively.