2023 Volume 28 Issue 1 Pages 51-58
We examined the decomposition behavior of 1-acyl-substituted derivatives of d-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), such as 1-cyclopropanecarbonyl LSD (1cP-LSD), 1-acetyl LSD (ALD-52), and 1-propionyl LSD (1P-LSD) through gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). It was reported previously that in methanol, 1cP-LSD completely decomposed into LSD during GC/MS. We found that in methanol, 1cP-LSD remained undecomposed during GC/MS, and the extent of decomposition varied based on the analyses performed in this study. As a result of a detailed examination, we deduced that the decomposition occurs at the inlet, regardless of the inlet temperature or the type of the inlet liner. We observed that the peak areas of 1cP-LSD decreased with the deterioration of the inlet liner, and this was considered to be a cause for the variation between different analyses. While the acetonitrile solution of 1cP-LSD provided relatively robust results, the other examined solvents showed a significant decomposition of 1cP-LSD and/or a sequent decrease in the peak area of 1cP-LSD with time after the replacement of the inlet liner. ALD-52 or 1P-LSD in acetonitrile were stable during GC/MS, however, they were unstable when methanol was used as a solvent, similar to 1cP-LSD. This suggested that a similar decomposition and/or a sequent decrease in the peaks of ALD-52 and 1P-LSD during GC/MS can be expected.
