Analytical Methods Blog

Detection of GHB in wine

γ-Hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is an odourless, tasteless compound sold illegally as a recreational drug under various names including ‘liquid ecstasy’. However it is more widely known as a date rape drug, causing catalepsy and short term memory loss when added to drinks.  Renato Zenobi and researchers at ETH Zürich report a new application of secondary electrospray ionisation (SESI) mass spectrometry for the detection of GHB in drinks and bodily fluids. The results were found to be consistent across different mass spectrometers and matrices. Both rapid and reliable, this method has the potential to prevent crimes by detecting drugs like GHB (and the structurally related compound GBL) in the headspace of a drink before it is consumed.

This article will be free to read until January 9th. Take a look now:

In situ detection of γ-hydroxybutyrate and γ-butyrolactone in drinks by secondary electrospray ionization
Christian Berchtold, Stefan Schmid, Lukas Meier and Renato Zenobi
Anal. Methods, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C2AY26009C

García et al., Anal. Methods, 2013, 5, 54-58

Mercury is highly toxic, and contamination of drinking water by Hg(II) can cause serious damage to the brain and kidneys.
José M. García and colleagues at the University of Burgos have developed a simple method for detecting mercury in aqueous solutions. They report the synthesis of a polymeric “sensory membrane” containing a dye compound based on rhodamine. When dipped in water, this membrane produces a colour change relative to the concentration of mercury, thus allowing detection and quantitation by the naked eye. Furthermore, a photograph of the coloured membrane taken using the camera on a standard smartphone produces RGB parameters that can accurately quantify the amount of mercury present in tap water with an excellent limit of detection.

To know more about this research, take a look at the original paper. It will be free for the next 6 weeks.

Sub-ppm quantification of Hg(II) in aqueous media using both the naked eye and digital information from pictures of a colorimetric sensory polymer membrane taken with the digital camera of a conventional mobile phone
Hamid El Kaoutit, Pedro Estévez, Félix C. García, Felipe Serna and José M. García
Anal. Methods, 2013, 5, 54-58
DOI: 10.1039/C2AY26307F