Effective Pseudoephedrine Identification in Illicit Drug Mixtures using UHPLC/MS

March 2009

Pseudoephedrine is frequently used as a decongestant in common cold products including Sudafed, Benadryl and Claritin. Pseudoephedrine, a List I chemical, is highly coveted by drug traffickers who use it to manufacture methamphetamine (meth), a Schedule II controlled substance, for the illicit drug market.

The diversion of over-the-counter pseudoephedrine-containing products is one of the major contributing factors in the rise of meth production and abuse worldwide. Successful separation and identification of pseudoephedrine in illicit drug mixtures can help identify the exact sources and manufacturing pathways of meth seized in the illicit drug market.

Illicit drug mixtures are typically analyzed by using classical techniques such as gas or liquid chromatography. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is preferred whenever the analytes are polar, thermally labile, or require chemical derivatization before GC.

Furthermore, ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) provides a competitive alternative to traditional GC. When combined with mass spectrometry, UHPLC/MS provides fast, efficient separations and sensitive detection with mass confirmation.

For this particular application, three common over-the-counter cold remedies containing pseudoephedrine as one of the active ingredients were analyzed by UHPLC/MS after a simple extraction procedure that required no chemical derivatization. Pseudoephedrine was identified as the major active ingredient for all three brand named drugs using the UHPLC/MS method.

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