Ice in Iran is the most dangerous type of methamphetamine

Methamphetamine and its derivatives are among the most frequent illicit drugs which are currently being used. Methamphetamine is made in clandestine labs using different starting materials and reagents. It is a chiral compound. The d- and l- enantiomers of methamphetamine have dramatically different pharmacological activity levels. Therefore, the enantiomeric composition of methamphetamine is important from legal and medical perspectives. In addition, the chirality of methamphetamine can help indicate the possible synthetic route and precursor used in its synthesis Methods: In this study 25 samples of crystalline methamphetamine obtained from antinarcotics police of Iran were analyzed. In order to determine the chemical characteristics of these samples, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and Polarimetry were carried out on the samples. Results: All of the samples contained methamphetamine. 1,2-dimethyl-3-phenylaziridine was the most frequently found impurity in the analyzed samples. The optical activity of the samples was also dextrorotatory. Discussion and conclusion: D-Methamphetamine is most commonly produced either from l-ephedrine or d-pseudoephedrine, while racemic d,l-methamphetamine is most commonly produced from 1-phenyl-2-propanone (P2P). The d-enantiomer exerts potent physiological and psychostimulant effects.The fact that 1,2-dimethyl-3-phenylaziridine was the most frequently found impurity in the analyzed samples, indicates that most of the methamphetamine samples seized in Iran have been synthesized from pseudoephedrine as starting material. Also the optical activity of the samples was also dextrorotatory. These results clearly indicate that samples seized in Iran were d-methamphetamine and have higher abuse liability

کلیدواژه ها:

Methamphetamine ، Enantiomer ، GC-MS ، Polarimetry