Many psychotropic substances are readily available in Japan via the Internet. To avoid the spread of drug abuse, some drugs have been controlled as designated substances (Shitei-Yakubutsu) in Japan since 2007 by the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law. Twenty-nine designated substances (classified as tryptamine, phenethylamine and piperazine types) were analyzed using color tests and TLC. The color tests were examined with the Marquis, Ehrlich, Simon's, Liebermann-Burehard's, and Mandelin reagents. The color of β-carbonyl-methylenedioxyphenetylamines produced by the Marquis reagent was yellow, and 4-halo-2,5-dimethoxy phenethylamines reacted with the Marquis reagent to a give deep yellow-green and/or a deep green color. Although all designated substances of the tryptamine type reacted with the Ehrlich reagent to give a brown color, only 1-(2,4,6-trimethoxyphenyl) propan-2-amine (TMA-6) among the phenethylamines showed a red color on treatment with the reagent. However, 3,4,5-trimethoxy and 2,4,5-trimethoxy isomers of TMA-6 were not colored with the reagent. Thus, TMA-6 could be distinguished from isomers using the Ehrlich reagent. We also analyzed the designated substances with thin-layer chromatography developed with two different solvent conditions. All substances were detected by UV254 nm and an iodoplatinate reagent. These results suggest that color tests and TLC, followed by GC-MS and LC-MS analyses, can be used for preliminary identification of designated substances.
