Separation technologies have occupied a central role in the current practices of analytical methods used for drug analysis today. As the emphasis in contemporary drug analysis shifts towards ultra-trace concentrations, the contribution from unwanted matrix interferences takes on greater significance. In order to single out a trace substance with confidence from a rapidly expanding list of drug compounds (and their metabolites) in real complex specimens, analytical technologies must evolve to keep up with such trends. Today, the task of unambiguous identification in forensic toxicology still relies heavily upon chromatographic methods based on mass spectrometric detection, in particular GC-MS in electron ionisation (EI) mode. Although the combined informing power of (EI) GC-MS has served faithfully in a myriad of drug application studies to date, we may ask if (EI) GC-MS will remain competitive in meeting the impending needs of ultra-trace drug analysis in the fut ure? To what extent of reliability can sample clean-up strategies be used in ultra-trace analysis without risking the loss of important analytes of interest? The increasing use of tandem mass spectrometry with one-dimensional (1D) chromatographic techniques (e.g. GC-MS/MS) at its simplest, considers that single-column chromatographic analysis with mass spectrometry alone is not sufficient in providing unambiguous confirmation of the identity of any given peak, particularly when there are peak-overlap. Where the mass spectra of the individual overlapping peaks are highly similar, confounding interpretation of their identities may arise. By introducing an additional resolution element in the chromatographic domain of a 1D chromatographic system, the informing power of the analytical system can also be effectively raised by the boost in resolving power from two chromatographic elements. Thus this thesis sets out to address the analytical challenges of modern drug analysis through the application of high resolut ion comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GCeGC) to a series of representative drug studies of relevance to forensic sciences.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/210352 |
| Date | January 2006 |
| Creators | Song, Shin Miin, shinmiin@singnet.com.sg |
| Publisher | RMIT University. Applied Sciences |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | http://www.rmit.edu.au/help/disclaimer, Copyright Shin Miin Song |
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