Paper Spray Mass Spectrometry Utilized with a Synthetic Microporous Polyolefin Silica Matrix Substrate in the Rapid Detection and Identification of More than 190 Synthetic Fentanyl Analogs

Fentanyl and its related synthetic analogs have recently become more readily available as a growing threat to public safety, such as pain relief and anesthetics. Sources of fentanyl are more likely to be illicitly manufactured than pharmaceutically manufactured and are often laced with other opioids, which ultimately increases the potency of fentanyl and results in an increased number of overdose deaths. The methods used to detect these compounds safely and quickly are of high interest due to their extreme potency. This study investigates the use of paper spray mass spectrometry (PS-MS), which is a simple atmospheric ionization process that can be used as a rapid study (60 s) with limited sample preparation and sample handling. PS-MS can be utilized with a synthetic microporous polyolefin silica matrix substrate, known as Teslin, which is manufactured by PPG Industries. The main characteristic of paper spray ionization with the Teslin substrate is the hydrophobicity, which is useful for a fast and direct analysis requiring only 1 mu g of the sample. The application of this novel synthetic substrate to PS-MS has been illustrated with a fentanyl analog screening kit (FAS Kit), which was designed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for the screening of 212 evolving synthetic opioids, including more than 190 fentanyl analogs. The comparable fragmentation with precursor molecule mass data from this study can be useful in improving the accurate detection and structural characterization of complex samples with a minimum interference of the isobaric components.

Automated summary

The study investigates the growing threat of fentanyl and its related synthetic analogs to public safety, and introduces a rapid detection method using paper spray mass spectrometry (PS-MS) with Teslin substrate, which requires minimal sample for analysis and can improve the accurate detection of synthetic opioids. The research also highlights the potential of PS-MS for enhancing the structural characterization of complex samples with minimal interference of isobaric components.