ABSTRACT
The precursor ion scanning methodology is applied to search for compounds that have similar core structures and is used for research on metabolites of drugs administrated in complex biological samples. Determination of the parent synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) is very important in forensic investigations. For many SCs, the gold standards for forensic and clinical analyses are gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry techniques. Many researchers have focused on developing methods for detecting SCs, and various detection methods have been published. Screening methods that can identify many kinds of SCs simultaneously are helpful for ingredient identification. GC-electron impact–MS is routinely used for drug identification because the inherent fragmentation patterns allow for comparison with drug spectral libraries. The use of mass defects is an interesting technique for identifying drug metabolites by high-resolution MS.
