Scientific Publications
Quantification of MDMA in seized tablets using benchtop 1H NMR spectroscopy
Analytical Methods
Recreational MDMA use is a worldwide problem. Tablet dosage varies, thus entailing a requirement for quantitative analysis. The quantification of MDMA in tablets using benchtop 1H NMR spectroscopy via either linear regression (manual method) or partial least square regression (automated method) approaches are reported, without the need for an internal standard, and compared against contemporaneously obtained GCMS data. Twenty samples were evaluated of which 15 were proven to contain MDMA, via qualitative NMR (hit score = 0.97) and GCMS (Rt = 5.6 min) analysis. Quantitative NMR analysis showed that the mean value of MDMA content was 42.6% w/w by the manual method and 45.9% w/w by the automated method. The mean value obtained from GC analysis was 44.0% w/w. A substantial proportion (n = 9) of the tablets tested possessed > 190 mg of MDMA (range 133223 mg, average of all techniques calculations for each tablet). This value is higher than the reported average MDMA content of tablets by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), which was ca. 125 mg of MDMA per tablet in 2016.
Analytical Methods
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