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Determination of 1-phenyl-2-propanone (P2P) by HS-GC/MS in a material sold as “wet amphetamine”

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Abstract

In this paper, we describe the approach to the characterization of an unusual material seized by the judicial authority, near Brescia City in Northern Italy. Usual analyses such as thin-layer chromatography, gas chromatography (GC)–flame ionization detection, and GC/mass spectrometry (MS) did not show the presence of drugs of abuse, in particular amphetamine-like compounds. The major solid component was identified as cornstarch; then taking into account the strong aromatic scent of the seized material; a preliminary experiment for volatile organic compounds was carried out by headspace (HS)-GC/MS. This analysis tentatively evidenced the presence of 1-phenyl-2-propanone (P2P), an amphetamine precursor. Therefore, we developed and optimized a new analytical method for determination of P2P in seized materials by HS-GC/MS. We also synthesized P2P, with the permission of the Ministry of Health, to have it as reference standard, because of its being illegal and the difficulty in obtaining it. This case had some analogies with the cases referred to as “wet amphetamine” by the judicial authority, in which amphetamines are sold mixed with P2P. The possible use of the material could be the production of tablets made of cornstarch with an aromatic scent similar to that of amphetamines to deceive consumers and to sell them as a drug of abuse.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Dr. Giovanni Paolo Rosi, Roquette Italia S.P.A. for the optical microscope analysis of the solid component of the seizure and Dr. Matteo Cerea and Luca Palugan for the production of tablets.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Mangiagalli 25, 20133, Milan, Italy

    Sebastiano Arnoldi, Gabriella Roda, Alessandro Coceanig, Eleonora Casagni, Lucia Dell’Acqua, Fiorenza Farè, Chiara Rusconi, Lucia Tamborini, Giacomo Luca Visconti & Veniero Gambaro

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  1. Sebastiano Arnoldi
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  2. Gabriella Roda
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  3. Alessandro Coceanig
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  4. Eleonora Casagni
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  5. Lucia Dell’Acqua
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  6. Fiorenza Farè
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  7. Chiara Rusconi
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  8. Lucia Tamborini
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  9. Giacomo Luca Visconti
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  10. Veniero Gambaro
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gabriella Roda.

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This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

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Arnoldi, S., Roda, G., Coceanig, A. et al. Determination of 1-phenyl-2-propanone (P2P) by HS-GC/MS in a material sold as “wet amphetamine”. Forensic Toxicol 34, 411–418 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11419-016-0311-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11419-016-0311-3

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