Mass Spectral Character of Fentanyl Analogues

• Published in: Fa yi xue za zhi Vol. 35; no. 2; pp. 216 - 223
• Main Author: YAN Jin, HUA Zhen-dong, JIA Wei, et al
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Chinese
• Published: Editorial Office of Journal of Forensic Medicine 01.04.2019
• Subjects: forensic toxicology; fentanyl analogues; gas chromatography-mass spectrometry; ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry; collision induced dissociation; electron impact ionization
• ISSN: 1004-5619
• DOI: 10.12116/j.issn.1004-5619.2019.02.016

Objective To provide the reference for the identification of unknown fentanyl analogues by studying the characteristic ions and main fragmentation pathways of fentanyl analogues in the modes of collision induced dissociation （CID） and electron ionization （EI）. Methods Nine fentanyl analogues （2, 2’-difluorofentanyl, acetyl fentanyl, fentanyl, butyl fentanyl, valeryl fentanyl, acryloyl fentanyl, furan fentanyl, 4-fluorine isobutyl fentanyl, carfentanyl） were selected and analyzed with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry （UHPLC-QTOF-MS） and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS）. The mass spectrum obtained was analyzed. The CID and EI fragmentation routes of fentanyl analogues were speculated. Results The CID and EI fragmentation pathways were highly similar. In the CID mode, characteristic ions were formed by the carbon-nitrogen bond cleavage between the piperidine ring and the N-phenyl-amide moiety, within the piperidine ring, and between the phenethy