Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a versatile tool for the isolation, separation, and detection of date-rape and club drugs. Advanced applications of electrophoretic techniques allow for the separation of small, similarly charged compounds by the utilization of mobile phase additives and chromatographic stationary phases.
Two novel screening procedures were developed using mobile phase additives. The first used sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) to detect gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), gamma-butyrolactone, as well as eight classical and low-dose benzodiazepines. Although SDS previously had been used for the separation of drugs, this was the first simultaneous separation of benzodiazepines and GHB. The second method used the additive hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin to detect 1-benzylpiperazine (BZP), 1-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl) piperazine (TFMPP), and three piperazine analogs.
An additional aspect of this project was to develop new systems for the analysis of the above drugs using capillary electrochromatography (CEC). A stationary phase in the capillary permitted the analysis of neutral drugs without resorting to pseudostationary phases. The buffers used in CEC were comparable to those used in high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), yet were more compatible with mass spectrometric detection. While LC-like stationary phases are still among the most popular utilized for CEC, monolithic polymer materials have the potential to provide an environment more suited to the generation of electroosmotic flow, in combination with partitioning, necessary for optimal analysis. Pore size and chromatographic evaluations of various poly(butyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate) stationary phases were examined for their utility in small molecule separations.
Miniaturization of the techniques described above can result in devices that are small, portable, and disposable. The microfluidic analysis of four nitrated benzodiazepines was accomplished on a commercial device using SDS and a cyanine monofunctional hydrazide dye in indirect fluorescence mode. In addition, cyanine monoreactive N- hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) ester was used for direct derivatization of amine-containing compounds. Protocols for the fabrication of glass and poly(dimethylsiloxane) devices were provided as an alternative to the commercial devices, providing a cheaper and more flexible separation technique.
These chapters provide innovative ways to extract, separate, and detect drug-facilitated sexual assault drugs. Along with several new methods, novel technologies for CE drug analysis were explored such as polymeric stationary phases and microfluidic devices.