Confirmation testing of amphetamines and designer drugs in human urine by capillary electrophoresis-ion trap mass spectrometry

Monitoring of amphetamines and designer drugs in human urine is a timely to pic in clinical toxicology, surveillance of drug substitution, forensic sci ence, drug testing at the workplace, and doping control. Confirmation testi ng of urinary amphetamine, methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetami ne (MDMA, Ecstasy) and 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) by capillary ele ctrophoresis (CE) combined with atmospheric pressure electrospray ionizatio n and ion trap mass spectrometry (MS) is described. Using an aqueous pH 4.6 buffer composed of ammonium acetate/acetic acid, CE-MS and CE-MS2 provided data that permitted the unambiguous confirmation of these drugs in externa l quality control urines. Furthermore, other drugs of abuse present in alka line urinary extracts, including methadone and morphine, could also be moni tored. The data presented illustrate that the sensitivity achieved with the benchtop MS is comparable to that observed by CE with UV absorption detect ion. CE-MS2 is further shown to be capable of identifying comigrating compo unds, including the comigration of amphetamine with nicotine.