Quantification of LSD in seized samples using one chromatographic methodology for diode array detection and electrochemical detection

Abstract

The hallucinogenic drug LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide) is present in global scale among the seized drugs. It is commonly found in blotters, and its detection in the extraction solution by a simple and fast methodology turns into a point of interest, once quickness, specificity and reliability must be associated. In the present work, from a single injection in a High Performance Liquid Chromatograph it is possible to quantify LSD by Diode Array Detection (DAD, λ = 310 nm) and Electrochemical Detection (ECD, 1250 mV) in seized samples in less than 10 minutes, with the same mobile phase composed by ammonium perchlorate. The limits of detection were calculated as 2.14 10-6 mol L-1 and 6.18 10-7 mol L-1 , respectively: these results values are equivalent to 4 µg of LSD in a blotter. The methodology was validated and applied in three real samples. Then, it is possible to gather more information from one injection based on distinct detection principles; this advantage is valuable in confirmatory analysis for illicit substances in the routine of a forensic laboratory.