Identification of Different Forms of Cocaine and Substances Used in Adulteration Using Near-infrared Raman Spectroscopy and Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy

Identification of cocaine and subsequent quantification immediately after seizure are problems for the police in developing countries such as Brazil. This work proposes a comparison between the Raman and FT‐IR techniques as methods to identify cocaine, the adulterants used to increase volume, and po...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Journal of forensic sciences Vol. 60; no. 1; pp. 171 - 178
Main Authors:	Penido, Ciro A. F. O., Pacheco, Marcos Tadeu T., Zângaro, Renato A., Silveira Jr, Landulfo
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	United States Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-01-2015 Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
Subjects:	adulterant Cocaine Cocaine - chemistry cocaine identification degradation Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors - chemistry Drug Contamination forensic science Forensic sciences Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy Humans Raman spectroscopy Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrum analysis Spectrum Analysis, Raman Street Drugs - chemistry toxicology adulterant cocaine identification toxicology Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy forensic science degradation Raman spectroscopy
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Summary:	Identification of cocaine and subsequent quantification immediately after seizure are problems for the police in developing countries such as Brazil. This work proposes a comparison between the Raman and FT‐IR techniques as methods to identify cocaine, the adulterants used to increase volume, and possible degradation products in samples seized by the police. Near‐infrared Raman spectra (785 nm excitation, 10 sec exposure time) and FT‐IR‐ATR spectra were obtained from different samples of street cocaine and some substances commonly used as adulterants. Freebase powder, hydrochloride powder, and crack rock can be distinguished by both Raman and FT‐IR spectroscopies, revealing differences in their chemical structure. Most of the samples showed characteristic peaks of degradation products such as benzoylecgonine and benzoic acid, and some presented evidence of adulteration with aluminum sulfate and sodium carbonate. Raman spectroscopy is better than FT‐IR for identifying benzoic acid and inorganic adulterants in cocaine.
Bibliography:	ark:/67375/WNG-L1640JW0-1 Supported in part by FAPESP (São Paulo Research Foundation) who granted the Raman instrument (Process no. 2009/01788-5). istex:14A49E9B657AAF06E2138C9E55155BA107B49A29 ArticleID:JFO12666 FAPESP (São Paulo Research Foundation) - No. 2009/01788-5
ISSN:	0022-1198 1556-4029
DOI:	10.1111/1556-4029.12666