Forensic Science International
July 1, 2015
José Coelho Neto
51 citations
Blotter papers seized on the streets were tested directly with ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, without any sample preparation. Both sides of each blotter were examined. In 66.7% of cases, the blotters contained one or more types of NBOMEs, confirming the growing presence of these novel substances. Some blotters contained MAL (methallylescaline), a mescaline-like compound, later confirmed by GC-MS or LC-MS. LSD was below the detection limit of the method. The ATR-FTIR results were validated against independent GC-MS or LC-MS results.
Forensic Toxicology
January 1, 2017
Luciano Chaves Arantes, Ettore Ferrari Júnior, Luciano Figueiredo De Souza et al.
50 citations
A new potent serotonin 5-HT2A receptor agonist, 25I-NBOH, was identified in blotter papers by several state-level forensic laboratories in Brazil. The molecule is labile and fragments into 2C-I during routine GC screening, requiring GC-MS, LC-QTOF-MS, FTIR, and NMR for full characterization. Individual doses range from 300 to 1000 μg. Although it is a potent 5-HT2A receptor agonist, 25I-NBOH is not registered with the UNODC and is controlled only in Sweden and Brazil. This is the first scientific report of 25I-NBOH identification in actual seizures.
Analytical methods : advancing methods and applications
November 23, 2023
Mariana C C Diniz, Fabiana de Moura, Yuri Machado et al.
1 citation
A new method uses paper triangles rubbed directly onto seized tablets and blotter paper to detect new psychoactive substances (NPS) via paper spray ionization mass spectrometry (PS-MS). The approach identified LSD, amphetamines, N-benzyl-substituted phenethylamines, synthetic cathinones, and synthetic cannabinoids in real samples. Sample preservation was excellent: less than 5% mass loss occurred even after 27 consecutive analyses, and no significant signal decrease was observed in the mass spectrometry. The method eliminates wet extraction, using only 10 μL of solvent per analysis, making it fast, inexpensive, and waste-minimizing. The intact sample can be retained for further forensic testing.
Forensic Toxicology
December 2, 2019
Yuri Machado, José Coelho Neto, R. A. Lordeiro et al.
Three new NBOH compounds—25B-NBOH, 25C-NBOH, and 25E-NBOH—were identified and structurally characterized in blotter papers seized by police in Brazil between 2017 and 2018. The substances were extracted and analyzed using infrared spectroscopy, gas and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. This is the first detailed report of these substances in seized samples. NBOHs are not controlled under United Nations conventions and have become the main hallucinogenic drug in the region since 2014. They are thermolabile under gas chromatography, requiring alternative analytical methods to avoid misidentification. Knowledge about their toxicology remains limited.
Forensic Toxicology
July 1, 2017
José Coelho Neto, Ana Flávia B. Andrade, Rogério Araújo Lordeiro et al.
25I-NBOH, a novel psychoactive substance found on blotter paper in Brazil, can be misidentified as 2C-I by routine gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) because it degrades into 2C-I inside the injector unless a derivatization procedure is used. A slight adjustment to the standard GC–MS method—shortening the solvent delay window—enables detection of an additional early chromatographic peak from the degradation, allowing distinction between 25I-NBOH and 2C-I without derivatization and preventing misidentification.