Color reaction of 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamines with chromotropic acid: its improvement and application to the screening of seized tablets

Abstract  We have previously reported basic data on the specificity of the color reaction of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and related drugs with chromotropic acid (CTA) and sulfuric acid. In this communication, we report an extended line of experiments that optimized reaction conditions, and we describe the application of this method to screening for MDMA or 3,4-methylendioxyamphetamine (MDA) in seized tablets. The optimal concentration of CTA and optimal reaction time at room temperature were 1.0 mM and 30 min, respectively. Final concentrations of MDMA of less than 100 μM should be used to avoid nonspecific color development. The CTA-dependent color reaction was also studied using aqueous extracts from seized tablets containing MDMA or MDA. On the basis of our results, we conclude that the present procedure is useful for screening for MDMA and MDA in seized tablets. Content TypeJournal Article JournalForensic ToxicologyOnline ISSN 1860-8973Print ISSN 1860-8965 (Source: Forensic Toxicology)

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 20th, 2007 at 11:17 pm and is filed under Forensic news. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

• Degradation of N-hydroxy-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine in aqueous solution and its prevention
• Optimization of HS-SPME/GC–MS analysis and its use in the profiling of illicit ecstasy tablets (Part 1)
• Different likelihood ratio approaches to evaluate the strength of evidence of MDMA tablet comparisons
• The profiling of MDMA tablets: A study of the combination of physical characteristics and organic impurities as sources of information
• Conversion of γ-hydroxybutyric acid to a fluorescent derivative: a method for screening