Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometric and Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometric Determination of Hallucinogenic Indoles Psilocin and Psilocybin in “Magic Mushroom” Samples
Tohru Kamata, Masanobu Nishikawa, Munehiro Katagi, Hitoshi Tsuchihashi
Journal of Forensic Sciences March 1, 2005 DOI: 10.1520/jfs2004276 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Analytical method development and validation Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 4 |
| Population | Magic mushroom samples |
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry Selected reaction monitoring Tryptamine Tandem mass spectrometry Derivatization Detection limit Analytical chemistry journal |
| Citations | 24 |
| Key points | LC-MS and LC-MS-MS methods can detect psilocin and psilocybin with high sensitivity and specificity, and the contents of these compounds vary widely across mushroom samples. |
Abstract
Abstract Accurate and sensitive analytical methods for psilocin (PC) and psilocybin (PB), tryptamine-type hallucinogens contained in “magic mushrooms,” were investigated using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS). The chromatographic separation on an ODS column and mass spectral information gave complete discrimination between PC and PB without derivatization. The mass spectrometric detection had a high sensitivity, and the tandem mass spectrometric detection provided more specificity and accuracy, as well as high sensitivity. The detection limits ranged from 1 to 25 pg by LC-MS in the selected ion monitoring mode, and the intra- and inter-day coefficients of variation were estimated to be 4.21–5.93% by LC-MS-MS in the selected reaction monitoring mode. By applying the present LC-MS-MS technique to four real samples, the contents of PC and PB were found to vary over a wide range (0.60–1.4 and 0.18–3.8 mg/g dry wt. for PC and PB, respectively) between samples.