J. L. McLaughlin

Alkaloids in Whole Plant Material: Direct Analysis by Kinetic Energy Spectrometry

A new approach to mixture analysis has been applied to the direct detection of various alkaloids in plant materials. The method requires absolutely no sample treatment. Results are presented for cocaine, morphine, papaverine, coniine, and atropine. The signal-to-background characteristics are superior to those of conventional mass spectrometry. Sensitivity is sufficient to detect and identify between 1 and 10 nanograms of alkaloid.

Mass-analyzed ion kinetic energy (MIKE) spectrometry and the direct analysis of coca☆

The technique of mass-analyzed ion kinetic energy (MIKE) spectrometry is briefly reviewed. The direct analysis, without need of prior extraction or chromatographic purification, of cocaine and cinnamoylcocaine in coca plant tissues has been accomplished with this new technique. Detection limits of below 1 ng, with a quantitative accuracy of +/- 30% at the nanogram level, have been demonstrated.