Identification of thermolabile positional isomers of N ‐(2‐hydroxybenzyl)‐2‐(dimethoxyphenyl)ethanamines (NBOH series) using chromatography and mass spectrometry methods

N-(2-hydroxybenzyl)phenylethanamines are a type of compounds which are degrade in the course of analysis by means of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. This can lead to errors in the identification. Exemplified by the five isomeric 2-(dimethoxyphenyl)-N-(2-hydroxybenzyl)ethanamines, it was shown that their derivatization with trifluoroacetic anhydride results in only one product for each compound. Chromatographic conditions for sufficient separation of these derivatives are proposed. As an alternative approach, a method liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry method without derivatization is proposed. AbstractAmongN-((2-substituted)benzyl)phenylethanamines,N-(2-hydroxybenzyl)phenylethanamines are a special type of compounds which are thermolabile and degrade in the course of analysis by means of gas chromatography –mass spectrometry (GC–MS). This can lead to substantial errors, in the identification of legally controlled compounds of this series containing methoxy groups at positions 2 and 5 of the benzene ring of the phenylethyl fragment by GC–MS, which is commonly used in forensic and toxicological la boratories. Exemplified by the five isomeric 2-(dimethoxyphenyl)-N-(2-hydroxybenzyl)ethanamines, it was shown that their derivatization with trifluoroacetic anhydride (same as in the case of theN-(2-methoxybenzyl)-,N-(2-fluorobenzyl)-,N-(2-chlorobenzyl)-, andN-(2-bromobenzyl)substitutes phenylethanamines [NBOMe, NBF, NBCl, and NBBr, respectively] serie...
Source: Drug Testing and Analysis - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Authors: Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research