Defense Date
2024
Document Type
Directed Research Project
First Advisor
Dr. Michelle R. Peace
Second Advisor
Dr. Sandra E. Rodriguez-Cruz
Third Advisor
Dr. Sara K. Dempsey
Abstract
The use and availability of controlled substances is highly dynamic. When a classical or novel psychoactive substance becomes popular, an influx of seized-drug evidence submissions closely follows, contributing to an ever-growing backlog of exhibits awaiting identification. The need for inclusive, rapid, and robust analytical methods is apparent, as demonstrated by recent growth in hallucinogen use. Psilocybin and psilocin, among other entheogens, have become increasingly popular and an increase of psilocybin mushroom seizures by law enforcement has followed. The structural similarity and thermal lability of many entheogens preclude their identification using many conventional analysis techniques. A DART and UHPLC were interchangeably coupled with the same mass spectrometry analyzer to provide two different techniques capable of collecting MS and MS/MS data. This system was applied to the analysis of the target analytes (psilocybin and psilocin), structurally similar compounds (bufotenine, dimethyltryptamine, serotonin, and yohimbine), and psilocybin-containing mushrooms obtained from casework submissions. Psilocybin was not amenable to DART ionization, but psilocin was detected using DART and further identified in the extracted mushroom material. A 4.65 minute UHPLC method was suitable for the separation of the target analytes and structurally similar compounds, and was used to simultaneously collect MS and MS/MS data. The capability of this system to switch between front-end configurations in five minutes to mitigate analytical challenges demonstrated how the speed of analysis can be improved with no loss of sample information.
Rights
© The Author(s)
Is Part Of
VCU Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects
Date of Submission
4-30-2024