HEADSPACE CONSTITUENTS OF OPIUM

The headspace of medicinal opium (Ph. Ned. 8) was analyzed by means of GC-FID, (+EI)-GC-MS (low and high resolution), and GC-FTIR. After olf actoric evaluation of the headspace sample by professional perfumers b y the use of the CC-sniffing technique and after correlation tests wit h trained police dogs, more than 70 components were identified. With r egard to the characteristic olfactoric properties of opium only one cl ass of components, namely pyrazines, is of special interest. The synth etic mixture of 2-methyl-, 2,5-, and 2,6-dimethylpyrazine with 2-metho xy-3-isopropyl and 2-methoxy-3-isobutylpyrazine was found to represent the original opium odour quite well.