New on-site color test to discriminate cocaine and cathinone derivatives

Yukika Sobue; Koki Hotoda; Ayumu Ishii; Kosuke Kusakabe; Jun Ohta; Ruriko Takahashi; Noriyuki Kato; Tomoaki Sugaya; Koji Ishihara

doi:10.1016/j.scijus.2024.09.008

New on-site color test to discriminate cocaine and cathinone derivatives

Sci Justice. 2024 Nov;64(6):642-648. doi: 10.1016/j.scijus.2024.09.008. Epub 2024 Oct 2.

Authors

Yukika Sobue¹, Koki Hotoda², Ayumu Ishii², Kosuke Kusakabe², Jun Ohta², Ruriko Takahashi², Noriyuki Kato², Tomoaki Sugaya³, Koji Ishihara⁴

Affiliations

¹ Scientific Crime Laboratory, Kanagawa Prefectural Police Headquarters, Yamashita, naka-ku 231-0023, Japan; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Advanced Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan. Electronic address: cross@kiu.iglobe.ne.jp.
² Scientific Crime Laboratory, Kanagawa Prefectural Police Headquarters, Yamashita, naka-ku 231-0023, Japan.
³ Education Cener, Faculty of Engineering Chiba Institute of Technology, Narashino, Chiba 275-0023, Japan; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Advanced Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan.
⁴ Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Advanced Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan. Electronic address: ishi3719@waseda.jp.

PMID: 39638483
DOI: 10.1016/j.scijus.2024.09.008

Abstract

Color tests are advantageous for the field detection of illicit drugs because of their simplicity, low cost, and rapidity. The Scott test has been widely used as a color test for cocaine; however, it has the disadvantage of reacting with cathinone derivatives. To develop a more discriminating field-testing procedure, we evaluated the Cupric Reducing Antioxidant Capacity (CUPRAC) and bicinchoninic acid (BCA) tests for cathinones, to discriminate between cocaine and cathinones. Although the BCA test has the drawback of recognizing sugars with reducing properties, this can be overcome by adding ethanol and filtering the sample before testing. Both tests successfully distinguished between cocaine and cathinone. The BCA test was superior in terms of the ease of visual discrimination, whereas the CUPRAC test had the disadvantage of a longer reaction time.

Keywords: Cathinones; Cocaine; Color test.