ABSTRACT
The potential for detecting contraband drugs, especially heroin and cocaine, by ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) was recognized in the 1970s.1 However, in the last decade or two, more attention has been placed on developing techniques and instrumentation for the detection of so-called recreational drugs like the amphetamines MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine) and other derivatives. It should be noted that to increase the capability and performance of the detection systems, sampling and preconcentration techniques received most of the attention, while IMSs themselves did not undergo major changes. Another eld of interest for researchers arose from the practical need to distinguish the presence of illicit drugs in environments that contained several potential interferences from other compounds that were there either intentionally or not. Unlike the risks to lives and property involved in obtaining a “false-negative” response in an explosives detector, a false-negative response in detecting illicit drugs does not pose an immediate risk. Thus, there is more of a tolerance in specications for drug detection systems than for explosive or toxin detectors. The actual application of IMS technology for detection and identi- cation of illicit drugs can be divided into two parts: One is the detection of concealed contraband material, such as MDMA and cocaine, usually hidden in luggage, containers, and illicit laboratories; and the other is screening of suspect substances and identication of illicit materials as opposed to legitimate substances. The following sections focus on the properties and ionization chemistry of such substances in air at ambient pressure, which is important for correct identication; on the sampling and preconcentration methods used to transport enough molecules from the suspected object into the IMS; and on the procedures that were developed for drug bioassay (mainly skin, hair, and urine).
