Analysis of Powders Containing Illicit Drugs Using Magnetic Levitation

Abstract

Magneto-Archimedes levitation (MagLev) enables the separation of powdered mixtures of illicit drugs (cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, and its analogues), adulterants, and diluents based on density, and allows the presumptive identification of individual components. Small samples (mass <50 mg), with low concentrations of illicit drugs, present a particular challenge to analysis for forensic chemists. The MagLev device, a cuvette containing a solution of paramagnetic gadolinium(III) chelate in a non-polar solvent, placed between two like-poles-facing NdFeB magnets, allowed separation of seven relevant compounds simultaneously. In particular, initial separation with MagLev, followed by characterization by FTIR-ATR, enabled identification of fentanyl in a sample of fentanyl-laced heroin (1.3 wt % fentanyl, 2.6 wt % heroin, and 96.1 wt % lactose). MagLev allows identification of unknown powders in mixtures and enables confirmatory identification based on structure-specific techniques.

Keywords: IR spectroscopy; chelates; density-based separation; illicit drugs; magneto-Archimedes levitation.