Engineering molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for the selective extraction and quantification of the novel psychoactive substance (NPS) methoxphenidine and its regioisomers.
Joseph W. Lowdon, S. M. O. Alkirkit, R. Mewis, D. Fulton, C. Banks, Oliver B Sutcliffe, M. Peeters
In Analysis April 30, 2018 DOI: 10.1039/c8an00131f (opens in new tab) via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractThe first Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) engineered to detect the new psychoactive substance methoxphenidine (MXP) and its regioisomers are presented. The polymers selectively extract MXP from heterogeneous samples, including street samples, as demonstrated by High Performance Liquid Chromatography with UV detection. This diagnostic tool can detect traces of MXP in complicated samples, offering a powerful method for identifying this substance.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Medicine Chemistry Engineering |
| Key finding | Molecularly Imprinted Polymers selectively extract methoxphenidine from heterogeneous samples, enabling specific detection of this new psychoactive substance. |
Abstract
In this communication, we present the first developed Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) for the specific detection of a New Psychoactive Substance (NPS); namely, methoxphenidine (MXP) and its regioisomers. Selectivity of the MIP towards MXP is studied by analysing mixtures and an acquired street sample with High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to UV detection. The study demonstrates that the engineered polymers selectively extract MXP from heterogeneous samples, which makes for a very powerful diagnostic tool that can detect traces of MXP in complicated NPS samples.