Profiling ephedrine prepared from N-methylalanine via the Akabori-Momotani reaction

Doddridge, A; Collins, M; Salouros, H

Profiling ephedrine prepared from N-methylalanine via the Akabori-Momotani reaction

Doddridge, A Collins, M

Salouros, H

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Drug Testing and Analysis, 2018, 10 (3), pp. 548 - 556
Issue Date:: 2018-03-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Doddridge, A	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Collins, M https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6423-0161	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Salouros, H https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0513-6332	en_US
dc.date.available	2017-06-22	en_US
dc.date.issued	2018-03-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Drug Testing and Analysis, 2018, 10 (3), pp. 548 - 556	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	1942-7603	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/134398
dc.description.abstract	©2017 Commonwealth of Australia. Drug Testing and Analysis ©2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Novel methods for synthesising methylamphetamine precursors are appearing in clandestine laboratories within Australia. One such laboratory involved the synthesis of ephedrine from N-methylalanine and benzaldehyde via the Akabori-Momotani reaction. This article presents chiral and stable isotope ratios of ephedrine synthesised via this method, along with a chemical profile of methylamphetamine produced from this ephedrine. Based on the chiral results and the δ13C, δ15N, and δ2H values, it is possible to distinguish ephedrine made via the Akabori-Momotani reaction from ephedrine of a “natural”, “semi-synthetic”, or “fully-synthetic” origin. Methylamphetamine and ephedrine samples synthesised from benzaldehyde having an enriched δ2H value (ie, > 0‰), via the Akabori-Momotani reaction, had an isotopic profile which set them apart from all other methylamphetamine samples. It was noted, however, that using stable isotope ratios alone to determine the precursor of methylamphetamine is limited; they could not with confidence differentiate between methylamphetamine and ephedrine synthesised from benzaldehyde having a depleted δ2H value (ie, <0‰) from other ephedrine sources and phenyl-2-propanone based methylamphetamine samples profiled.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Drug Testing and Analysis	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1002/dta.2239	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Analytical Chemistry	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Deuterium	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Carbon Isotopes	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Nitrogen Isotopes	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Ephedrine	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Benzaldehydes	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Methamphetamine	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Alanine	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Central Nervous System Stimulants	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Street Drugs	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Chemistry Techniques, Synthetic	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Illicit Drugs	en_US
dc.title	Profiling ephedrine prepared from N-methylalanine via the Akabori-Momotani reaction	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	3	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	10	en_US
utslib.for	0301 Analytical Chemistry	en_US
utslib.for	1115 Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences	en_US
utslib.for	0601 Biochemistry and Cell Biology	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	3	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	10	en_US

Abstract:

©2017 Commonwealth of Australia. Drug Testing and Analysis ©2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Novel methods for synthesising methylamphetamine precursors are appearing in clandestine laboratories within Australia. One such laboratory involved the synthesis of ephedrine from N-methylalanine and benzaldehyde via the Akabori-Momotani reaction. This article presents chiral and stable isotope ratios of ephedrine synthesised via this method, along with a chemical profile of methylamphetamine produced from this ephedrine. Based on the chiral results and the δ13C, δ15N, and δ2H values, it is possible to distinguish ephedrine made via the Akabori-Momotani reaction from ephedrine of a “natural”, “semi-synthetic”, or “fully-synthetic” origin. Methylamphetamine and ephedrine samples synthesised from benzaldehyde having an enriched δ2H value (ie, > 0‰), via the Akabori-Momotani reaction, had an isotopic profile which set them apart from all other methylamphetamine samples. It was noted, however, that using stable isotope ratios alone to determine the precursor of methylamphetamine is limited; they could not with confidence differentiate between methylamphetamine and ephedrine synthesised from benzaldehyde having a depleted δ2H value (ie, <0‰) from other ephedrine sources and phenyl-2-propanone based methylamphetamine samples profiled.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/134398