A. Pelander, I. Ojanperä, T. Hase
Mar 14, 1997
Citations
0
Influential Citations
9
Citations
Journal
Forensic Science International
Abstract
Abstract Potential reagents for the N -demethylation of tertiary amines were screened in order to produce drug metabolite reference material for forensic toxicological applications, and 1-chloroethyl chloroformate was found to be the reagent of choice. The reaction was performed by refluxing in dry 1,2-dichloroethane under nitrogen, and the carbamate intermediate was hydrolysed by treatment with methanol. The products were purified by preparative layer chromatography, and their structures were confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and by thin layer chromatography using derivatization with Fast Black K salt. The five drugs investigated, promazine, levomepromazine, orphenadrine, clomipramine and chlorprothixene, N -demethylated smoothly and the yields of the purified products were between 40 and 60% from 20 mg of the starting compound.