FAST ANALYSIS OF DRUGS IN A SINGLE HAIR

A new method for the fast screening of cocaine and 6-monoacetylmorphin e (6-MAM) in a single hair, using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), is described. The analyses are conducted in less than 10 min with minimal sample preparation The novel method combines the Chromat oProbe direct sample introduction device for intrainjector thermal ext raction, fast GC separation, a supersonic molecular beam GC/MS interfa ce and hyper-thermal surface ionization (HSI). The technique has been successfully employed for the detection of cocaine in as little as a l -mm section of hair using selected ion monitoring (SIM). Unambiguous f ull scan mass spectra of cocaine and 6-MAM were obtained on a single h air for cocaine and heroin users, respectively. HSI was found to be al most 3 orders of magnitude more selective than electron impact ionizat ion for cocaine compared with the major hair constituents, with a mini mum detected concentration of approximately 10 ppb in the SIM mode. Re sults obtained for 12 drug users showed full qualitative agreement wit h similar results using rigorous solvent extraction followed by electr ospray-liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis. However, quan titative studies showed only partial agreement. No false positives wer e observed for 10 drug free subjects. This method enables fast drug mo nitoring along the hair length which permits time correlation studies. (C) 1998 American Society for Mass Spectrometry.