Identification of NBOMe and NBOH in blotter papers using a handheld NIR spectrometer and chemometric methods
Microchemical journal (Print) January 1, 2019 L. Magalhães, L. Arantes, J. Braga
A handheld near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer combined with statistical models can rapidly and non-destructively identify whether blotter papers contain N-benzylphenethylamine drugs (NBOMe or NBOH series) or not. The method uses two models: Model A distinguishes samples with any drug from those without, and Model B differentiates NBOMe from NBOH drugs. Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) achieved efficiency rates above 97% in training and validation. Model B remained robust with mean efficiency above 89% after random sample permutation. SIMCA models matched Model A's performance but were less effective for Model B, though better at handling drugs not in the training set. This approach offers a fast screening tool for forensic analysis before chromatography and mass spectrometry.