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EP-3841085-B1 - NBOME TEST

EP3841085B1EP 3841085 B1EP3841085 B1EP 3841085B1EP-3841085-B1

Inventors

  • Fu, Shanlin
  • CLANCY, Laura Jane
  • Philp, Morgan
  • SHIMMON, RONALD

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20190822

Claims (11)

  1. A method of detecting the presence of a N-methoxybenzyl (NBOMe) in a sample, the method comprising the steps of: - contacting the sample with a solution comprising an activated p -quinone, and an aldehyde; and - observing a colour change, which when present, correlates with the presence of an NBOMe; wherein - the activated p -quinone comprises 2,3,5,6-tetrachloro-1,4-benzoquinone (TCBQ); - the aldehyde comprises acetaldehyde; and - the activated p-quinone is provided in a solvent selected from ethyl acetate, methanol or 1,4-dioxane.
  2. The method according to claim 1 further including a buffer to maintain an alkaline environment.
  3. The method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the aldehyde and the active p-quinone are present in equimolar amounts.
  4. The method according to claim 1 wherein a colour change is observed at environmental temperature within 5 minutes.
  5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein an order of addition to the sample is: 1) buffer 2) a solution of TCBQ and acetaldehyde; or wherein the buffer, TCBQ and acetaldehyde are contacted simultaneously with the sample; or wherein the acetaldehyde is contacted with the sample prior to the addition of TCBQ.
  6. A method according to any one of the preceding claims which takes place on a plate or well to allow visualisation of developed colour, where present, or on a paper substrate.
  7. A test reagent for detecting the presence of a N-methoxybenzyl (NBOMe) in a sample, the reagent comprising 2,3,5,6-tetrachloro-1,4-benzoquinone (TCBQ) and acetaldehyde and a solvent, wherein the solvent is selected from ethyl acetate, methanol or 1,4-dioxane.
  8. The test reagent according to claim 7 further comprising a buffer.
  9. A test reagent according to claim 8 wherein the buffer is a phosphate buffer.
  10. A test reagent according to any one of the preceding claims 7-9, wherein the aldehyde and the active p -quinone are present in equimolar amounts.
  11. A kit for the detection of a N-methoxybenzyl (NBOMe) moiety, the kit comprising the test reagent of any one of claims 7-10 and optionally a colour standard or comparison chart.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to tests for the determination of illicit substances. In particular, the invention relates to tests for the detection of drugs of the NBOMe family. The invention also relates to kits and devices for the detection of NBOMes. BACKGROUND The present-day illicit drug trade is a large, lucrative, global industry. Technological advances and the ingenuity of rogue chemists continues to present ongoing challenges for law enforcement authorities and for scientists and engineers developing the technology to support them. In recent years, the recreational drug market has seen an increase in the abuse of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS). NPS exhibit psychotropic effects when taken and are often an alternative to traditional illicit drugs. NPS are often derivatives or analogues of existing illicit drugs, pharmaceutical compounds, substances being researched or naturally occurring compounds. Studies in recent years have provided an understanding for the motivations to use NPS. These include potentially ambiguous legal status (motivated by a desire to avoid detection), market availability and cost. NPS may also function as market substitutes for established illicit drugs during times when these are of limited availability or poor quality. NPS are of great concern due to the number and diversity of compounds involved and a lack of knowledge about their mode of action, side effects and toxicity, although it is clearly established that many NPS have been linked to adverse neurological and psychological outcomes. NBOMes are some of the most recent NPS to appear on the market, although these substances are only "new" in the sense of being newly misused, as nearly all were synthesized many years ago. NBOMe compounds are a class of methoxy benzyl substituted phenethylamine compounds which provide hallucinogenic and psychoactive properties at extremely low dosages - as little as 200µg when taken intranasally or sublingually and even less if smoked as the free base. They raise serious health risks for users, particularly in relation to hypertension and tachycardia and a number of deaths have been reported. The high potency of these drugs means that overdoses are common. NBOMes are illegal or controlled by legislation in most jurisdictions, although they are often sold as "legal LSD". They are commonly sold in the form of blotter papers or powders. NBOMes are a well-defined class of NPS and their structure typically includes a base 2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine or "2C" structure, which itself may have psychoactive properties, as well as a 2-methoxybenzyl group on the 2C nitrogen. The structure below shows a 2,5-dimethoxy-N-(2-methoxybenzyl)phenethylamine (25-NBOMe) structure with a variable 'R' substituent at position 4. The addition of the 2-methoxybenzyl substituent is highly significant in altering the chemical and pharmacological properties of the resultant NBOMe, which has been shown to produce a 190-fold affinity for the 5-HT2A receptors compared to the unsubstituted compound. The most common NBOMes are shown below: CompoundPosition 4 'R' substituent25B-NBOMeBromine25C-NBOMeChlorine25D-NBOMeMethyl25E-NBOMeEthyl25F-NBOMeFluorine25G-NBOMeDimethyl (3 and 4 positions)25H-NBOMeHydrogen25I-NBOMeIodine25N-NBOMeEthylthio25P-NBOMePropyl25TFM-NBOMeTrifluoromethyl In order to prosecute those involved with illegal drugs, it is necessary to be able to identify the drugs present. NBOMes can be identified by traditional analytical techniques such as Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-MS). The analysis of NBOMe's can be particularly challenging as it may require extraction (from blotters) and possibly derivatisation before analysis. Mass spectrometry can be can be complicated as the close structural similarity of the compounds means that NBOMes often give similar base peaks and fragmentation patterns. Importantly, there is a lack of library data to enable direct comparison. Other analytical methods, such as NMR are highly reliable for the structural determination of NBOMe's, although these are not ideal for high throughput sample analysis owing to their high cost of running, the need for trained personnel and lengthy analysis times. The large number of illicit drug seizures means that simple, rapid, inexpensive, and accurate field tests are highly desirable. Presumptive screening tests are designed to provide an indication of the presence or absence of certain drug classes in a test sample. They need to be simple to carry out, robust enough to be used under suboptimal conditions and sufficiently reliable so they can form the basis for the legal detention of suspects until definitive tests can be completed. Colour 'spot' tests are a particularly useful type of field test that result in a colour change when applied to a sample containing a drug of interest. The chemical reaction occurring between the colour reagent and the