Analytical approach for the identification of impurities, intermediates and precursor of the entactogen synthesis

The use of amphetamine analogues substances known as "entactogen drugs" has been an exponential increasein this last years. Among the more popular "new drugs" are 3,4-methylenedioxymetham-phetamine(MDMA, Ecstasy),a vailable at the illegal market as tablets, in which the amphetamine is present as the only active ingredient or in association with other pharmacologically active substances. In these tablets are present traces of precursors, intermediates and impurities from the synthesis, compounds with a potential toxicity and frequently new drugs for a market in continuous expansion. For instance p-methoxymethamphetamine( PMMA), an impurity present in MDMA tablets, is now a new drug emerged on illegal market. The knowledge of the impurities can be essential for determine a common source and compare different lots of illicit tablets. An analytical screening for the study of "street drugs" is presented. The most common methods of analysis for these drugs utilize high resolution gas chromatography/flame- ionization detector (HRGC/FID) or thin layer chromatography(TLC), but high resolution gas chromatographyl/mass spectrometry (HRGC/MS), high resolution gas chromatography/head space (HRGC/HS) and 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) could provide fundamental data for the proper compositione valuation of MDMA tablets. These information are a valid support to regulatory authorities to trace the clandestine laboratories and fight the illicit trading of synthetic drugs.