Simultaneous detection and quantitation of O6-monoacetylmorphine, morphine and codeine in urine by gas chromatography with nitrogen specific and/or flame ionization detection.

It is of importance to differentiate heroin intake from the absorption of opiate-containing pharmaceuticals or opiates from other sources. A method for the routine determination of O6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM), the specific metabolite of heroin in human urine, by gas chromatography and classical detectors without having recourse to gas chromatography/mass spectrometry-selected ion mode (GC/MS-SIM) is described. With dual detection by nitrogen selective and flame ionization detectors, the limits of detection for 6-MAM were determined to be 2 ng/mL and 4 ng/mL urine for a 10 mL sample. When applied to urines preliminarily screened for opiates, the results appeared consistent in comparison with those obtained by GC/MS-SIM. The method was also developed for the simultaneous quantitative analysis of morphine and codeine. The linearity was tested up to 600 ng/mL for the three compounds of interest 6-MAM, morphine and codeine and their absolute recoveries were 76%, 78%, 75% respectively.