尼秦类新精神活性物质的质谱特征研究

Mass Fragmentation Characteristics of New Psychoactive Substances of Nitazenes

  • 摘要: 本研究采用气相色谱-四极杆-飞行时间质谱(GC/Q-TOF MS)法和超高效液相色谱-四极杆-静电场轨道阱高分辨质谱(UPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS)法分析依托尼秦(etonitazene)、氯尼他秦(clonitazene)、N,N-二乙基-2-(2-(4-异丙氧基苄基)-5-硝基-1H-苯并d咪唑-1-基)-1-乙胺(isotonitazene)等10种尼秦类物质,收集电子电离(EI)和电喷雾-高能碰撞解离(ESI-HCD)模式下的高分辨质谱信息,推测各碎片离子的结构,并归纳该类物质的质谱裂解途径。在这2种模式下,尼秦类物质的碎裂途径显示出相似性和互补性。在EI模式下,主要发生1(N)位取代基以N原子游离基为中心的α裂解,生成亚胺正离子,为基峰;在ESI-HCD模式下,主要发生1位C—N键断裂,生成1位取代基正离子,为基峰,质量数较EI模式下的亚胺正离子多14 u。本研究可为尼秦类新精神活性物质的结构鉴定提供参考。

     

    Abstract: 2-Benzylbenzimidazole opioids, also referred to “nitazenes”, has been noted with increasing frequency in the recreational drug market. These compounds were first synthesized in the 1950s, marking the pharmaceutical industry’s initial achievement of high-level morphine-like activity without relying on the complex phenanthrene moiety of poppy alkaloids. Although nitazenes exhibit strong analgesic properties and have been used in in vitro receptor study and in vivo addiction behavior research, they have never been approved for any pharmaceutical or clinical applications due to risks such as addiction and respiratory depression. Since 2019, nitazenes have seen a rapid surge in the illicit drug market, with underground laboratories synthesizing them as alternatives to opioids like fentanyl and heroin. The chemical structures of nitazenes have been swiftly modified to evade regulatory control, leading to the emergence of novel compounds. In order to investigate the mass fragmentation characteristics of nitazenes and encapsulate the analytical strategy of structural identification, ten mitazenes, including 2-(2-(4-ethoxybenzyl)-5-nitro-1H-benzodimidazol-1-yl)-N,N-diethylethan-1-amine (etonitazene), 2-(2-(4-chlorobenzyl)-5-nitro-1H-benzodimidazol-1-yl)-N,N-diethylethan-1-amine (clonitazene), and N,N-diethyl-2-(2-(4-isopropoxybenzyl)-5-nitro-1H-benzodimidazol-1-yl)ethan-1-amine (isotonitazene), etc were analyzed using gas chromatography coupled with quadrupole/time of flight-mass spectrometry (GC/Q-TOF MS) and ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-Orbitrap MS). The mass fragmentation pathways of the studied compounds were examined under both electron ionization (EI) and electrospray ionization (ESI) with high-energy collisional dissociation (HCD) mode, they have both congruencies and distinctive features. Under EI mode, nitazenes predominantly undergo α-cleavage at the nitrogen-containing substituents at the 1st position, leading to the formation of an iminium cation, which is typically observed as the base peak in the mass spectra. While, under ESI-HCD mode, the cleavage of the C—N bond occurs at the 1st position, yielding a cation derived from the substituents, which manifests as the base peak with a mass increment of 14 u relative to the iminium cation observed under EI mode. The insights garnered from this study are anticipated to significantly enhance the structural elucidation of nitazenes, thereby contributing to the advancement of analytical methodologies in the field of forensic chemistry and drug analysis.

     

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