Recent Advances in Comprehensive Chromatographic Analysis of Emerging Drugs

The analysis of seized drugs containing emerging drugs, which are synthesized to skirt the controlled substances laws, is complicated by a large array of similar drugs including analogues, homologues, positional isomers, and diastereomers. Chromatographic techniques such as gas chromatography (GC) and liquid chromatography (LC), which are commonly used with mass spectrometry (MS) detection, have certain limitations-especially for positional isomers and diastereomers. This article discusses the use of emerging technologies that are complementary to established techniques, to significantly reduce these shortcomings for both synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic cathinones. In this vein, the utility of recently reported approaches including ultrahigh performance supercritical fluid chromatography (UHPSFC)-photodiode array (PDA) ultraviolet (UV)-MS, and GC-vacuum UV is discussed. To increase the specificity of analysis, multiple chromatographic techniques are commonly used. For the analysis of emerging drugs, a combination of GC and UHPSFC is recommended. The utility of a previously unreported coupled-columns approach for UHPSFC to significantly enhance resolution of synthetic cathinones is presented.