Stabilization of formaldehyde into polydimethylsiloxane composite: application to the in situ determination of illicit drugs

The Marquis test is the most frequently used spot color assay for the screening of unknown drugs such as amphetamine, methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine, 3,4-metilenedioxymethamphetamine, and morphine. However, this test involves the use of the toxic reagent formaldehyde, as well as the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry 2019-04, Vol.411 (10), p.2141-2148
Main Authors: Jornet-Martínez, Neus, Herráez-Hernández, Rosa, Campíns-Falcó, Pilar
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amphetamines
Analytical Chemistry
Biochemistry
Characterization and Evaluation of Materials
Chemical properties
Chemistry
Chemistry and Materials Science
Color
Colorimetry - methods
Cost analysis
Dimethylpolysiloxane
Dimethylpolysiloxanes - chemistry
Drug abuse
Drug screening
Drugs
Food Science
Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde - chemistry
Format
Hallucinogens - analysis
Illegal drugs
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted - methods
Laboratory Medicine
Limit of Detection
Liquid chromatography
MDMA
Methamphetamine
Monitoring/Environmental Analysis
Morphine
N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine - analysis
Pictures
Polydimethylsiloxane
Quantitative analysis
Reagents
Research Paper
Safety
Street Drugs - analysis
Substance Abuse Detection - methods
Sulfuric acid
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Summary:The Marquis test is the most frequently used spot color assay for the screening of unknown drugs such as amphetamine, methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine, 3,4-metilenedioxymethamphetamine, and morphine. However, this test involves the use of the toxic reagent formaldehyde, as well as the manipulation of concentrated sulfuric acid. Here, we report a new format of this test that improves the sustainability and safety for the operator by immobilizing formaldehyde into a polydimetylsiloxane composite. In contact with a solution (or suspension) of the suspected sample in sulfuric acid, the dispositive delivers formaldehyde and the reaction takes place in a few seconds. Under the proposed conditions, only small amounts of the drug (μg) are necessary to produce intense changes of color. In addition, the percentage of the drug in the sample can be established by obtaining pictures of the test vials and subsequent analysis of the digitalized images. The responses were linear for amphetamine-like drugs up to a concentration of 100 mg L −1 , and the precision achieved was adequate (relative standard deviations, RSDs
ISSN:1618-2642
1618-2650
DOI:10.1007/s00216-019-01644-1