The isolation and characterisation of the synthetic
cannabinoid AM-2201 from commercial products
using purification by HPLC-DAD

• Authors: Smilja Duranovic , Mathieu Elie , Mark Baron
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

A total of six products containing legal highs
were purchased via the internet from the UK- based
retailers and screened for the presence of synthetic
cannabinoids using a fast GC-MS method and identified,
in the absence of reference materials, by comparing the
mass spectra with the Scientific Working Group for the
Analysis of Seized Drugs (SWGDRUG) mass spectral
library. Four synthetic cannabinoids were detected: RCS-4,
CP-47, 497, UR-144 and AM-2201. The active ingredient
(1-(5-fluoropentyl)-3-(1-naphthoyl) indole), with the street
name AM-2201, detected in the product named Doob was
isolated and purified from the methanolic extract of the
product using preparative HPLC with analytical column
(column overloading method). The structure of the
substance was confirmed using NMR. This approach used
common analytical equipment found in forensic and other
analytical laboratories (except for the NMR), therefore can
be useful for the identification of unknown psychoactive
substances in drugs of abuse.

Keywords

EN

AM-2201; fast GC-MS; preparative HPLC

• Publisher: De Gruyter Open
• Journal: Sample Preparation
• Year: 2014
• Volume: 2
• Issue: 1

Dates

online

15 - 6 - 2015

received

19 - 11 - 2014

accepted

6 - 5 - 2015

Contributors

author

Smilja Duranovic

• School of Chemistry,
  University of Lincoln, Lincoln, United Kingdom LN6 7TS

author

Mathieu Elie

• School of Chemistry,
  University of Lincoln, Lincoln, United Kingdom LN6 7TS

author

Mark Baron

• School of Chemistry,
  University of Lincoln, Lincoln, United Kingdom LN6 7TS

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Identifiers

DOI

10.1515/sampre-2015-0004