Regioisomeric differentiation of 2,3-and 3,4-methylenedioxy ring-substituted phenylalkylamines by gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

Numerous abused drugs of the 3,4-methytenedioxymetamphetamine (MDMA; Ecstas y; N-methyl-1-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)-2-propaneamine) type and various a lkyl chain- and aromatic ring-substituted isomers give very similar electro n ionization (EI) mass spectra, This seriously affects the analysis of espe cially ring regioisomeric drug variants, Using collision-induced dissociati on (CID) (argon) under EI and chemical ionization, the mass spectra of 18 2 ,3- and 3,4-methylenedioxy ring-substituted phenylethylamines were recorded . These techniques permitted an unequivocal differentiation of all studied ring regioisomeric methylenedioxyphenylethylamines, CID mass spectrometry t herefore appear to be a reliable tool to establish the kind of ring substit ution pattern in regioisomeric methylenedioxyphenalkylamines. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.