Chromatography Forum

We (MMC) are a manufacturer of Narcotic Identification Field test Kits (Presumptive).
Now and then we receive a request if we can test a substance with a GC.
We do have a GC (Chrompack 9002 with 2 FID columns and autosampler) and HP 5890 SeriesII with 2 NPD columns and autosampler. But we do not have experience with such devices. (We will have somebody in September (Student).
I am wondering if there is someting like a Narcotic Database (cocaine, opiates etc) with their retention times etc..so we know the reference.
We will get chemstation with our system (used) we recently bought.

Sorry for being a Noob but..well I have to ask somewhere and this forum looks perfect..

We only need to find out if a substance is an illegal controlled substance and what substance it is.

thanks guys!

leechfreak,

Some suggestions then some comments. I don't know of a specific drug database but you can certainly look up many of the compounds you are interested in on the NIST Webbook. This will give Kovats' indices that should help. However, it will be tough to rely on an indices for confirmation, much better to run the compounds of interest. I would also recommend contacting DET to see if Dr. Patterson has such a database based on NPD detectors.

Comment: I read somewhere that 40% or so of the compounds in the NIST database contain nitrogen, so use of an NPD (instead of a MS) may not be sufficiently selective for what you want to do. (I will see if I can find the exact citation.) The use of dual, non-similar, columns will improve the specificity but I would not want to go to court based on that. Any of the GC supply houses will be able to provide you with good choices for a column set.

Best regards.

Amirav, American Laboratory, October 2001.

Best regards.

Dear AICMM,

Thank you for your replies..
We will start working with the GC machines Beginning of September.
If we have any questions, will post our questions on this forum and hope you know the answer(s)
Thanks again for your answers.