Portable testing techniques for the analysis of drug materials

The analysis of drug material in the field is an important function of law enforcement agencies, forensic drug laboratories, and drug checking services. Portable testing techniques employed by these different groups range from inexpensive screening tools with low discriminating power, such as presumptive chemical color tests, to more sophisticated portable analytical techniques that behave as miniaturized versions of their laboratory counterparts, such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Rapid non-destructive analysis in the field and non-laboratory environments is afforded by portable and handheld Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometers with little to no sample preparation, while handheld Raman analyzers have the added potential for drug material identification through sealed packaging using spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (SORS). Utilization of the most suitable testing technique for the given environment is demonstrated at international borders and airports wherein ion mobility spectroscopy (IMS) is frequently employed for the detection of drug (and explosive) residues owing to its ease of operation and rapid analysis. Advances in technology and materials have provided analysts with new portable testing techniques, including paper spray ionization-MS (PSI-MS), an ambient MS technique that provides sensitive, rapid, and reliable analysis without the need for sample preparation steps. A growing area of research and interest in the development of sensitive and selective optical and electrochemical portable (bio)sensors for in-field analysis of drug material indicates that new commercial sensors for drug detection will be available in the foreseeable future. This article is categorized under: Forensic Chemistry and Trace Evidence > Controlled and Emerging Drug Compounds Forensic Chemistry and Trace Evidence > Emerging Technologies and Methods Toxicology > Drug Analysis