Semester
Summer
Date of Graduation
2009
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Type
PhD
College
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Chemistry
Committee Chair
Suzanne C Bell
Abstract
Among the different means of decomposition, thermal, environmental, and metabolic degradation play a significant role in how forensic related compounds are analyzed. In the first stage of this research, cocaine and methamphetamine were pyrolyzed utilizing a pyroprobe to detect reported products of pyrolytic/thermal degradation and smoked markers. This simple and rapid method has laid the groundwork for future smoked drug analyses. In the second stage of research, a new focus was developed on detection of explosives in soil from detonated UXO at the West Virginia Maneuver Area. TNT, RDX, HMX, tetryl, and TNT environmental degradation products were analyzed using a modified sampling method based on EPA 8330b and LC/MS/MS. Human exposure to explosives can be a consequence of environmental contamination or involvement with the synthesis, fabrication, or construction of an improvised explosive device (IED). Therefore, the final stage of this research focuses on human metabolic markers (biomarkers) of TNT, RDX, HMX, and tetryl which were determined using an in-vitro metabolism procedure and LC/MS/MS.
Recommended Citation
Ely, Melissa Gayton, "Detection and determination of degradation and metabolic products of drugs of abuse and explosives" (2009). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 4459.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/4459