Rapid Detection of Synthetic Cannabinoids in E-Cigarette Liquids Based on Miniature Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry
In recent years, the misuse of synthetic cannabinoids has garnered significant societal attention. To evade regulation, synthetic cannabinoids are often illicitly mixed into e-cigarette liquids to create "heady e-cigarettes". The complex matrix of e-cigarette liquids poses a substantial ch...
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Editorial Board of Journal of Chinese Mass Spectrometry Society
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Zhipu Xuebao |
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| Online Access: | https://zpxb.xml-journal.net/article/doi/10.7538/zpxb.2024.0196 |
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| author | Ya-jin HE Hui-wen RUAN Ming-jian ZHANG Wu-duo ZHAO Gui-yun SONG Ke ZHANG Bing WANG Suo-suo YANG Jian KANG Bin LI Shuang WANG Wei-guo WANG |
| author_facet | Ya-jin HE Hui-wen RUAN Ming-jian ZHANG Wu-duo ZHAO Gui-yun SONG Ke ZHANG Bing WANG Suo-suo YANG Jian KANG Bin LI Shuang WANG Wei-guo WANG |
| author_sort | Ya-jin HE |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In recent years, the misuse of synthetic cannabinoids has garnered significant societal attention. To evade regulation, synthetic cannabinoids are often illicitly mixed into e-cigarette liquids to create "heady e-cigarettes". The complex matrix of e-cigarette liquids poses a substantial challenge to the detection and regulation of synthetic cannabinoids, necessitating the development of methods suitable for rapid on-site detection of these substances in such products. A miniature ion trap mass spectrometer, with its high sensitivity, fast detection, and portability, is an ideal tool for detecting synthetic cannabinoids in e-cigarette liquids. In this study, a rapid detection method for synthetic cannabinoids in e-cigarette liquids was established based on acetone-assisted photoionization miniature ion trap mass spectrometry. The study revealed that the complex matrix present in e-cigarette liquids can mask the detection signals of synthetic cannabinoids, thereby significantly reducing detection sensitivity. Furthermore, matrix residues were found to cause severe contamination of the mass spectrometry instrument, resulting in an extended instrument recovery time of up to 360 min following contamination. To address this issue, a micro-heating desorption pre-separation module was proposed to achieve pre-separation of synthetic cannabinoids and e-cigarette liquid matrix components by exploiting the boiling point difference between them. Using 5F-EMB-PICA as a representative compound, the effects of temperature and heating time of the micro-heating desorption on the detection signal intensity were investigated. The optimal temperature was found to be 150 ℃, and the optimal heating time was 5 min. Under these conditions, the heating pre-separation strategy successfully minimized the interference from e-cigarette matrix components, achieving optimal detection sensitivity while reducing instrument contamination. The instrument recovery time was reduced to only 1 min. To demonstrate the universality of the method, three typical synthetic cannabinoids (e.g., 5F-EMB-PICA, 4F-ABUTINACA, and 4F-MMB-BUTINACA) in different flavors of e-cigarette liquids were investigated, all of which were accurately and rapidly detected. In addition, the method exhibits high sensitivity for detecting all three synthetic cannabinoids at concentrations as low as 5 mg/L. This detection limit is significantly lower than the typical synthetic cannabinoid concentration range (0.58%-2.71%) found in "heady e-cigarettes", thereby fully covering the potential content of illicit additives in e-cigarette products. This method not only offers excellent detection performance, but also features fast response, low cost and short instrument recovery time, making it suitable for on-site identification of illicitly added synthetic cannabinoids in e-cigarette liquids. With the continuous expansion of the e-cigarette market and the growing severity of related drug crimes, this method is expected to provide important support for the on-site detection of synthetic cannabinoids in e-cigarette liquids. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7768b60d716d4ce7b3710bb2f1aba508 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1004-2997 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Editorial Board of Journal of Chinese Mass Spectrometry Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Zhipu Xuebao |
| spelling | doaj-art-7768b60d716d4ce7b3710bb2f1aba5082025-08-20T02:50:53ZengEditorial Board of Journal of Chinese Mass Spectrometry SocietyZhipu Xuebao1004-29972025-07-0146447548310.7538/zpxb.2024.01962024-196-a11Rapid Detection of Synthetic Cannabinoids in E-Cigarette Liquids Based on Miniature Ion Trap Mass SpectrometryYa-jin HE0Hui-wen RUAN1Ming-jian ZHANG2Wu-duo ZHAO3Gui-yun SONG4Ke ZHANG5Bing WANG6Suo-suo YANG7Jian KANG8Bin LI9Shuang WANG10Wei-guo WANG11Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute, China National Tobacco Corporation, Zhengzhou 450001, ChinaDalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, ChinaZhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute, China National Tobacco Corporation, Zhengzhou 450001, ChinaSchool of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, ChinaDalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, ChinaZhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute, China National Tobacco Corporation, Zhengzhou 450001, ChinaZhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute, China National Tobacco Corporation, Zhengzhou 450001, ChinaEmergency Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116023, ChinaEmergency Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116023, ChinaYunnan Police Officer Academy, Kunming 650223, ChinaZhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute, China National Tobacco Corporation, Zhengzhou 450001, ChinaDalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, ChinaIn recent years, the misuse of synthetic cannabinoids has garnered significant societal attention. To evade regulation, synthetic cannabinoids are often illicitly mixed into e-cigarette liquids to create "heady e-cigarettes". The complex matrix of e-cigarette liquids poses a substantial challenge to the detection and regulation of synthetic cannabinoids, necessitating the development of methods suitable for rapid on-site detection of these substances in such products. A miniature ion trap mass spectrometer, with its high sensitivity, fast detection, and portability, is an ideal tool for detecting synthetic cannabinoids in e-cigarette liquids. In this study, a rapid detection method for synthetic cannabinoids in e-cigarette liquids was established based on acetone-assisted photoionization miniature ion trap mass spectrometry. The study revealed that the complex matrix present in e-cigarette liquids can mask the detection signals of synthetic cannabinoids, thereby significantly reducing detection sensitivity. Furthermore, matrix residues were found to cause severe contamination of the mass spectrometry instrument, resulting in an extended instrument recovery time of up to 360 min following contamination. To address this issue, a micro-heating desorption pre-separation module was proposed to achieve pre-separation of synthetic cannabinoids and e-cigarette liquid matrix components by exploiting the boiling point difference between them. Using 5F-EMB-PICA as a representative compound, the effects of temperature and heating time of the micro-heating desorption on the detection signal intensity were investigated. The optimal temperature was found to be 150 ℃, and the optimal heating time was 5 min. Under these conditions, the heating pre-separation strategy successfully minimized the interference from e-cigarette matrix components, achieving optimal detection sensitivity while reducing instrument contamination. The instrument recovery time was reduced to only 1 min. To demonstrate the universality of the method, three typical synthetic cannabinoids (e.g., 5F-EMB-PICA, 4F-ABUTINACA, and 4F-MMB-BUTINACA) in different flavors of e-cigarette liquids were investigated, all of which were accurately and rapidly detected. In addition, the method exhibits high sensitivity for detecting all three synthetic cannabinoids at concentrations as low as 5 mg/L. This detection limit is significantly lower than the typical synthetic cannabinoid concentration range (0.58%-2.71%) found in "heady e-cigarettes", thereby fully covering the potential content of illicit additives in e-cigarette products. This method not only offers excellent detection performance, but also features fast response, low cost and short instrument recovery time, making it suitable for on-site identification of illicitly added synthetic cannabinoids in e-cigarette liquids. With the continuous expansion of the e-cigarette market and the growing severity of related drug crimes, this method is expected to provide important support for the on-site detection of synthetic cannabinoids in e-cigarette liquids.https://zpxb.xml-journal.net/article/doi/10.7538/zpxb.2024.0196synthetic cannabinoidse-cigarette liquidsminiature ion trap mass spectrometryrapid detectionpreheating |
| spellingShingle | Ya-jin HE Hui-wen RUAN Ming-jian ZHANG Wu-duo ZHAO Gui-yun SONG Ke ZHANG Bing WANG Suo-suo YANG Jian KANG Bin LI Shuang WANG Wei-guo WANG Rapid Detection of Synthetic Cannabinoids in E-Cigarette Liquids Based on Miniature Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry Zhipu Xuebao synthetic cannabinoids e-cigarette liquids miniature ion trap mass spectrometry rapid detection preheating |
| title | Rapid Detection of Synthetic Cannabinoids in E-Cigarette Liquids Based on Miniature Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry |
| title_full | Rapid Detection of Synthetic Cannabinoids in E-Cigarette Liquids Based on Miniature Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry |
| title_fullStr | Rapid Detection of Synthetic Cannabinoids in E-Cigarette Liquids Based on Miniature Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry |
| title_full_unstemmed | Rapid Detection of Synthetic Cannabinoids in E-Cigarette Liquids Based on Miniature Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry |
| title_short | Rapid Detection of Synthetic Cannabinoids in E-Cigarette Liquids Based on Miniature Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry |
| title_sort | rapid detection of synthetic cannabinoids in e cigarette liquids based on miniature ion trap mass spectrometry |
| topic | synthetic cannabinoids e-cigarette liquids miniature ion trap mass spectrometry rapid detection preheating |
| url | https://zpxb.xml-journal.net/article/doi/10.7538/zpxb.2024.0196 |
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