NOVEL SOLID-PHASE EXTRACTION STRATEGY FOR THE ISOLATION OF BASIC DRUGS FROM WHOLE-BLOOD - PRELIMINARY-STUDY USING COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE EXTRACTION CARTRIDGES

A novel strategy for the solid-phase extraction of basic drugs has bee n developed using commercial extraction cartridges. The procedure invo lves the sequential application of very different isolation mechanisms , viz. hydrophobic extraction on non-porous carbon followed by ionic e xtraction on a strong cation exchanger. This approach to extraction ac hieves both high recoveries and clean extracts when analysed by GC-MS. The potential for automation has been demonstrated using commercial s ample preparation equipment.