Identification of Cocaine and Its Metabolites in Human Urine in the Presence of Ethyl Alcohol

Abstract

A complete methodology was developed using extraction procedures for identification of cocaine, its major metabolites, common diluents, and other abused drugs from human urine case studies. Techniques utilized included screening by thin-layer chromatography, subsequent on-column alkylation for identification, and chemical ionization mass spectroscopy using methane as the reagent gas for confirmation. Data regarding the detection of cocaethylene, a cocaine homologue, was verified in the presence of ethyl alcohol as a biotransformation product with ethylecgonine.