Drug Analysis

1
Drug Analysis

• Forensic Science/CSI
• Foster

2
How would you figure out which type of drug each
of these are?
3
Tests
Drug Identification

• Screening or presumptive tests
• Spot or color tests
• Microcrystalline test
• a reagent is added, producing a crystalline
  precipitate that is unique for a certain drug
• Chromatography

• Confirmatory tests
• Spectrophotometry
• Ultraviolet (UV)
• Visible
• Infrared (IR)
• Mass spectrometry

4
Forensics Unit 3 Notes

• Drug- a natural or synthetic substance designed
  to affect the subject psychologically or
  physiologically

Controlled Drugs- material whose possession is
controlled by law (Controlled Substances
Act)illegal- drug that is against the law to
have, use, or distribute.illicit- is a legal
drug used in an inappropriate or illegal way.
5
Controlled Substances Act
Dont write

• Schedule Ihigh potential for abuse no currently
  accepted medical use in the U.S. a lack of
  accepted safety for use under medical supervision
• Examples heroin (diacetylmorphine), LSD,
  marijuana, ecstasy (MDMA)

• Schedule IIhigh potential for abuse a currently
  
• accepted medical use with severe restrictions
  abuse
• may lead to severe psychological or physical
• dependence
• Examples cocaine, morphine, amphetamines
  (including
• methamphetamines), PCP, Ritalin

6
Controlled Substances Act, continued
Dont write

• Schedule IIIlower potential for abuse than the
  drugs in I or II a currently accepted medical
  use in the U.S. abuse may lead to moderate
  physical dependence or high psychological
  dependence
• Examples intermediate-acting barbiturates,
  anabolic steroids, ketamine

• Schedule IVlow potential for abuse relative to
  drugs in III a
• currently accepted medical use in the U.S.
  abuse may lead to
• limited physical or psychological dependence
  relative to drugs
• in III
• Examples stimulants and depressants including
  Valium, Xanax,
• Librium, phenobarbital, Darvon

7
Controlled Substances Act, continued
Dont write

• Schedule Vlow potential for abuse relative to
  drugs in IV currently accepted medical use in
  the U.S. abuse may lead to limited physical or
  psychological dependence relative to drugs in IV
• Examples codeine found in low doses in cough
  medicines

Write This The higher on the schedule the lower
the risk for addiction/danger
8
Types of Drugs

• Hallucinogens- naturally occurring substances
  that change thought processes, perceptions and
  moods
• Ex Marijuana, LSD
• Stimulants- act on the central nervous system to
  make the user feel better and increase his/her
  energy alertness while suppressing appetite and
  fatigue
• Ex Cocaine, caffeine
• Narcotics- relieve pain
• Ex Acetaminophen, Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Codeine,
  Morphine, Heroin
• Designer drugs- designed for abuse and evasion of
  specific drug laws

9
Testing for Drugs

• Spot Tests- chemical reaction occurs causing a
  color change
• Must use further testing to confirm spectroscopy

If it is a color change why is it a chemical
change and not a physical change? HINT Why does
the color change occur?
10
Testing for Drugs

1. Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC)- separates the
   components of the mixture

11
Testing for Drugs (cont.)

• Metabolism- the sum of all chemical processes in
  an organism
• Metabolites- molecules involved in the process of
  metabolism (found in hair)
• The presence of metabolites implies what the
  original chemical was
• Can lead to false positives

12
Testing for Drugs (cont.)

• Presumptive (screening) Test- presumes the
  presence of the questioned substance
• Tests using color- for marijuana, LSD,
  amphetamines, cocaine, heroin, barbiturates

• Marquisturns purple in the presence of most
  opium derivatives and orange-brown with
  amphetamines
• Dille-Koppanyiturns violet-blue in the presence
  of barbiturates
• Duquenois-Levineturns a purple color in the
  presence of marijuana
• Van Urkturns a blue-purple in the presence of
  LSD
• Scott testcolor test for cocaine blue

13
Testing for Drugs (cont.)

• Confirmatory tests- specifically identify one
  substance (many different types)
• Spectroscopy- study of radiation and its
  interaction with matter
• Infrared spec. studies absorption of energy near
  IR
• Mass spec. studies presence of ions- atoms or
  molecules that have lost or gained one ore more
  electrons and have a charge (positive or negative)

14
EM Spectrum- compare these 2 diagrams
15
Infrared Spectrometry
Measures the transmittance of infrared radiation
16
Mass Spectrometry
Separates components of a mixture by mass and
then measures the quantity of the substance with
that mass.
17
Gas Spectrometry
Part 1- Separated by boiling pt. Part 2-
Separated by mass Part 3- Measured and Reported