Thermal (in)stability of atropine and scopolamine in the GC-MS inlet

Koželj, Gordana (author), Prosen, Helena (author)

The intoxication due to unintentional or intentional ingestion of plant material containing tropane alkaloids is quite frequent. GC-MS method is still widely used for the identification of these toxicologically important substances in human specimen. During general unknown analysis, high temperature of inlet, at least 270 °C, is commonly used for less volatile substances. Unfortunately, both tropanes are thermally unstable and could be overlooked due to their degradation. The temperaturerelated degradation of tropanes atropine and scopolamine was systematically studied in the inlet of a GC-MS instrument in the range 110–250 °C by increments of 20 °C, additionally also at 275 °C, and in different solvents. At inlet temperatures not higher than 250 °C, the degradation products were formed by elimination of water and cleavage of atropine’s ester bond. At higher temperatures, elimination of formaldehyde became predominant. These phenomena were less pronounced when ethyl acetate was used instead of methanol, while n-hexane proved unsuitable for several reasons. At an inlet temperature of 275 °C, tropanes were barely detectable. During systematic toxicological analysis, any tropanes’ degradation products should indicate the possible presence of atropine and/or scopolamine in the sample. It is not necessary to prepare thermally stable derivatives for confirmation. Instead, the inlet temperature can be decreased to 250 °C, which diminishes their degradation to a level where their detection and identification are possible. This was demonstrated in several case studies.

• Language: English
• Keywords: atropine, scopolamine, thermal stability, GC-MS inlet, degradation
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: MF - Faculty of Medicine; FKKT - Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: 11 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 9, iss. 7, art. 156
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-135733
• UDC: 543.544.3:543.51:547.9
• ISSN on article: 2305-6304
• DOI: 10.3390/toxics9070156
• COBISS.SI-ID: 69304323
• Publication date in RUL: 30.03.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Toxics
• Shortened title: Toxics
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2305-6304
• COBISS.SI-ID: 520262681

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 01.07.2021

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: atropin, skopolamin, toplotna stabilnost, injektor GC-MS, razgradnja

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P1-0153
• Name: Raziskave in razvoj analiznih metod in postopkov