ASAP Analytical

During this unprecedented time, ASAP Analytical is offering customizable online webinars explaining the many benefits of the IRD 3 vapor-phase GC-FTIR for the identification of drugs of abuse. Not only does the IRD 3 compliment GC-MS, but it is also the only GC-FTIR that offers the reliability and spectral reproducibility needed to analyze complex isomers. V***r-phase GC-FTIR also avoids polymorphism, which highly limits other systems from accurately analyzing even the simplest isomers.

The online webinar typically lasts between 45 minutes and 1 hour. Topics covered can be customized to focus on the area of the most concern. Whether you would like to focus more on the maintenance and operation, hardware integration, or software, we will customize to fit your needs. One aspect that we always include in our webinars is a live software demonstration. The software demonstration shows how easy it is to acquire spectra and then search them against a library of vapor-phase spectra.

AAFS is next week in Anaheim, CA. If you are interested in learning more at the IRD 3, please consider stopping by our booth. There are also two opportunities to learn more about how the IRD 3 can increase your ability to analyze drugs of abuse isomers. Tuesday 18 February, from 1 PM -5 PM, there will be a workshop covering all things IRD 3. On Saturday 22 February Dr. Jose Almirall from Florida International University will be presenting data on fentanyl identification using the IRD 3.

This workshop will be taught by some of the most well respected drug chemists in the country.

At ASAP Analytical, we are thankful for our great partners, vendors, distributors, and customers. Without the support that each provides, we wouldn't be where we are today. Thank you, and have a great holiday! We will be away from the office on Thursday, November 28, and 29th to celebrate the Holiday. Regular business hours resume on December 2nd.

Due to the worldwide increase of illegal synthetic drugs and their legal definition it is essential to differentiate between isomers of illicit drugs. To comply with accepted standards for identification, this typically requires a combination of instrumental and chemical techniques. Gas Chromatography- mass-spectrometry (GC-MS) is a powerful tool used in forensic chemistry for the identification of the complex mixtures often encountered by forensic chemists. In GC analysis, compounds are separated from a mixture and eluted from a column based on the structure’s affinity for the stationary phase. The elution is measured by retention time, and while the retention time of a given compound in a GC method can provide clues to identity, retention time is not unique to any compound. In MS, a molecule is bombarded with high energy electrons, creating charged ions. Typically, these ions are unstable and will undergo fragmentation producing a mass spectrum pattern based on mass to charge ratio that can be compared to known standards. Many times, this mass spectrum is enough to identify the compound of interest in a forensic setting. In the case of positional isomers, the ions produced during fragmentation may not be unique, and the resulting mass spectra are indistinguishable in benchtop GC-MS instrumentation. The American Society of Crime Laboratory acknowledges the need to couple MS with other instrumentation to accurately identify positional isomers.

In infrared spectrophotometry (IR) a molecule is exposed to infrared radiation. Based on the arrangement of the functional groups in the molecule, it will either absorb or transmit the various wavelengths of radiation. The resulting IR spectra can then be compared to known V***r Phase IR Libraries. Unlike in MS, where the movement of a functional group in a positional isomer cannot be differentiated, slight changes in the position of functional groups is detectable in the IR spectrum. When coupled with a GC-IRD, this technique allows for the characterization of these isomers with the advantage of the separation afforded by the GC.

The V***r Phase (VP) GC-FTIR, IRD 3 manufactured by ASAP Analytical is the best analytical technique to complement the most widely used analysis techniques for drugs of abuse GC-MS. Using the IRD 3 in tandem with GC-MS gives the forensic laboratories a versatile and reliable set of tools to identify unknowns and difficult isomers.