Honors Theses
Date of Award
Spring 5-9-2024
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Chemistry and Biochemistry
First Advisor
James Cizdziel
Second Advisor
Kerri Scott
Third Advisor
Mohamed Radwan
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
Despite the opioid crisis taking headlines, the abuse of cocaine and amphetamines remains rampant and laboratory instruments must be able to effectively and reliably handle the overwhelming case load. In this study, an Agilent 6475 Triple Quadrupole (QQQ) LCMS, recently acquired by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office (TCMEO) in Fort Worth, Texas, was validated for identifying and quantifying CocAmps. Results show that the instrument was fit-for-purpose and that the instrument passed all validation tests. Reproducibility was ≤ 20% RSD for 12 QC replicates, 6 of blood and 6 of urine. Accuracy was ± 20%. A 98.9% recovery was yielded after spiking a 100 ng/mL calibrator with other non-CocAmp compounds. There was no or negligible carryover between chromatographic runs. Finally, there was ≤ 20% difference for results between the laboratory’s previously validated instrument (Endura) and the new Agilent instrument. The Agilent QQQ performed equivalent, if not better, chromatography. All results complied with the regulations set by the American Academy of Forensic Sciences’ Standards Board. Overall, the Agilent 6475 was deemed fit-for-purpose, a validation report was filed, and the instrument assumed day-to-day analysis of case specimens.
Recommended Citation
Nichols, Isabel R., "Validation of a Triple Quadrupole LCMS Instrument for Cocaine and Amphetamines" (2024). Honors Theses. 3130.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/3130
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