“Date rape” is a common occurrence on college campuses. Psychoactive drugs like Rohypnol®, ketamine and synthetic cathinones are often associated with drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) cases. A study by the University of Miami found 13% of 45 sexual assault cases involved the use of synthetic cathinones. Not all DFSA cases are reported due to the nature of the crime allowing more cases to go unreported therefore this may be an underestimate. Synthetic cathinones are schedule 1 drugs, which are water-soluble allowing them to easily be mixed into beverages. The purpose of this research project was to determine the stability of naphyrone, a synthetic cathinone, in beverages over a period of 90 days. Solid phase extraction (SPE) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS) were used to determine the concentration of naphyrone in the beverages over time. The samples were stored in three temperature environments: room temperature (25 °C), refrigerator (4 °C), and freezer (-20 °C) and analyzed in triplicate on days 0, 3, 7, 14, 30, and 90. The study showed naphyrone would be stable for up to three months and most stable under freezer conditions.

Stability of synthetic cathinones in beverages

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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