Determination of sympathomimetic amine by gas chromatography equipped with flame-thermoionic detector (FTD) and its application to forensic chemistry

Abstract

Sympathomimetic amines, amphetamine and methamphetamine, were determined as trifluoroacetyl derivatives by gas chromatography (GC) equipped with a flame-thermionic detector (FTD). Resolution of these derivatives was carried out in a glass column (3 mm×1 m), packed with 1.5% SE-30 on Chromosorb W (AW-DMCS) at 110°C, with helium at a flow rate 50 ml/min. Detection limit of these amines was 0.1 ng. In a case of the autopsy samples from 4.5 month-postmortem suspected the intoxication of methamphetamine, we could detect the amine by FTD-GC, and the content was calculated to be 12.5 μg per g wet weight liver. © 1981, The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan. All rights reserved.