Broad Spectrum Drug Screening Using Electron-Ionization Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (EI-GCMS)

A liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) of drugs and internal standard (promazine) is performed by mixing urine at basic pH with 1-chlorobutane. There are no hydrolysis or derivatization steps. After centrifugation the organic (upper) layer is transferred to another tube and evaporated. The dried extract is reconstituted with ethyl acetate and 1 �L is injected onto the GCMS. Drugs are volatilized in the GC inlet and separated on a capillary column. In the EI source drugs become positively charged and fragment. Mass analysis of ionized fragments occurs with a single quadrupole. The resulting full scan mass spectra are automatically searched against three libraries.