Forensic laboratories perform bulk substance identification to support investigations in cases involving possession, trafficking, and manufacturing of illicit drugs. A variety of analytical techniques can be used, but mass spectrometry provides methodologies that produce rapid and confident results. We evaluated two analytical workflows using a DART (Direct Analysis in Real Time) ion source coupled to a LTQ XL ion trap mass spectrometer and a Q Exactive Focus hybrid quadrupole- Orbitrap MS. Pharmaceutical pills were analyzed to demonstrate method performance. For forensic use only.

In Westernized cultures, dietary supplements have been gaining popularity in recent years. In China, traditional herbal supplements have been used for millennia. In both cases, the threat of adulteration and need for further characterization of ingredients have been driving forces behind the need for increased screening. This note presents a new approach to the rapid screening of a product marketed as an herbal weight loss aid and the fingerprint characterization of omega fatty acid dietary supplements derived from marine and flaxseed oils.

Phthalic acid diesters (PAEs), or phthalates, are widely used in industry as a plasticizer in products like toys, flooring, personal care products and food packages. Some PAEs are classified as hazardous, affecting mainly the reproductive system and possibly contributing to cancer. Though regulated, these phthalates might be present and used during production of goods. We demonstrate the possibility of using precursor ion selection and full scan MS2 spectrum, and utilize it as a fingerprint for the characterization of the different compounds/isomers with nominal m/z ratios 279 and 391.

Brominated hydrocarbons (BFRs) have been used in various industries for decades. Most chlorinated pesticides (OCs) have been banned in the United States, but their use still occurs in developing countries. The persistence of BFRs and OCs in the environment, potential deleterious activity, makes the detection and monitoring of these compounds an important topic. We propose DART as a simple, rapid, easy-to-use technique; eliminating the need for chromatographic method development, and reducing or eliminating sample preparation, for detection and quantitation of both BFRs and OCs.

We describe a method incorporating direct analysis in real time (DART) ionization and Thermo Scientific Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry for rapid analysis and identification of contaminating substances in water.