Application of Analytical Methodologies to Evaluate the Extension of Cocaine Contamination in Real Circulating Banknotes in the Municipality of Seropédica-RJ
Cocaine. Banknotes. HPLC. Ultrasonic bath.
Cocaine is a tropical alkaloid extracted from Erythroxylon coca, popularly known as coca. It represents 80% of the total alkaloids found in coca. Approximately 18.8 million people aged 15-64 years have used cocaine at least once from 1998 to 2014. Cocaine hydrochloride, one of the forms of cocaine presentation, is the salt of highly soluble cocaine In water, which causes its administration to be nasal, aspirating the powder, or intravenous. It is a white, odorless powder, being of high value in the market because it is an expensive refining product, encouraging adulteration. Paper money is contaminated with cocaine, due to its use as a tool in drug use and the handling of traffickers. Many users use the ballots to inhale the powder, forming a straw. For this reason, it is important to determine the presence of traces of this drug in the notes, such as forensic evidence in attempting to relate the user and the drug. In this work, the High Performance Liquid Chromatography technique with UV-VIS detector is presented for the analysis of banknotes collected in the municipality of Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro. For the extraction of cocaine from the banknotes, ultrasonic bath is used, showing recovery rates of up to 95% when diluted acetic acid is used as solvent extractor. The method presented linearity from 1 to 100 mg / L, with limits of detection and quantification of 0.141 and 0.428 mg / L, respectively. The method of extraction and analysis are proving satisfactory, and the work will continue with the analysis of real samples of banknotes collected in the local commerce.