TY - JOUR
T1 - Comprehensive Analysis of Analogues of Amine-Related Psychoactive Substances Using Femtosecond Laser Ionization Mass Spectrometry
AU - Madunil, Siddihalu Lakshitha
AU - Imasaka, Totaro
AU - Imasaka, Tomoko
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS KAKENHI Grant No. 20H02399) and by the Program of Progress 100 in Kyushu University, The Iwatani Naoji Foundation, 2020 Collaboration Development Fund for Joint Program between National Taiwan Normal University and Kyushu University, and Heiwa Nakajima Foundation. Quantum chemical calculations were mainly carried out using the computer facilities at the Research Institute for Information Technology, Kyushu University. We thank Prof. Noriyuki Igura for the use of the GC–EIMS in the Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University. S.L.M. acknowledges the Mitsubishi Corporation International Scholarship for financial support to study in Japan.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society
PY - 2022/1/5
Y1 - 2022/1/5
N2 - Amine-related psychoactive molecules contain N–Cα and Cα–Cβ bonds, which easily dissociate to form various fragment ions in electron ionization mass spectrometry (EIMS). Therefore, observing a molecular ion and then determining the molecular weight of the analyte is difficult. In this study, we examined phenethylamine, 3,4-methylenedioxyphenethylamine, tryptamine, N-methylephedrine, and nicotine as well as analogues of amine-related psychoactive substances using EIMS and femtosecond laser ionization mass spectrometry (fs-LIMS) combined with gas chromatography for comprehensive analysis. A molecular ion was clearly observed in fs-LIMS for all of these compounds, which was in contrast to EIMS providing fragment ions dominantly (no molecular ion was observed for N-methylephedrine). This favorable result was obtained by adjusting the laser wavelength to the optimal value for two-photon ionization to minimize the excess energy remaining in the molecular ion. It therefore appears that fs-LIMS is superior to EIMS in terms of observing a molecular ion and would be potentially useful for identifying a variety of amine-related psychoactive substances, some of which are illegal and are of interest in the field of forensic science.
AB - Amine-related psychoactive molecules contain N–Cα and Cα–Cβ bonds, which easily dissociate to form various fragment ions in electron ionization mass spectrometry (EIMS). Therefore, observing a molecular ion and then determining the molecular weight of the analyte is difficult. In this study, we examined phenethylamine, 3,4-methylenedioxyphenethylamine, tryptamine, N-methylephedrine, and nicotine as well as analogues of amine-related psychoactive substances using EIMS and femtosecond laser ionization mass spectrometry (fs-LIMS) combined with gas chromatography for comprehensive analysis. A molecular ion was clearly observed in fs-LIMS for all of these compounds, which was in contrast to EIMS providing fragment ions dominantly (no molecular ion was observed for N-methylephedrine). This favorable result was obtained by adjusting the laser wavelength to the optimal value for two-photon ionization to minimize the excess energy remaining in the molecular ion. It therefore appears that fs-LIMS is superior to EIMS in terms of observing a molecular ion and would be potentially useful for identifying a variety of amine-related psychoactive substances, some of which are illegal and are of interest in the field of forensic science.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85120799675&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85120799675&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1021/jasms.1c00282
DO - 10.1021/jasms.1c00282
M3 - Article
C2 - 34846136
AN - SCOPUS:85120799675
VL - 33
SP - 90
EP - 99
JO - Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry
JF - Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry
SN - 1044-0305
IS - 1
ER -