Techniques and Background
Mass Spec Analytical Ltd (MSA) is a Bristol company formed in
1994 and employs a dedicated team of scientists. Our services include the
analysis of a wide range of exhibits including mobile phones,
vehicles,
premises, banknotes, clothing, documents and personal items for
the detection of traces of drugs and explosives.
MSA has developed specialised sample introduction devices
enabling rapid throughput of exhibits. Several drugs or explosives
are targetted simultaneously.
MSA has developed a quality service, completing thousands of
analysis tasks for Police Forces, HM Customs & Defence Teams.
Our experts have presented evidence in hundreds of court cases.
MSA has completed many background studies of drugs
contamination on money, mobile phones, cars etc. which show how
traces of drugs of abuse found upon seized exhibits compare with
what might generally be expected from these types of exhibits.
MSA has experience in the detection of traces of explosives at
picogram levels – specifically targetting aircraft
boarding passes.
Our mobile Scentinel® system provides instant results at crime
scenes and border crossings.
MSA uses Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (a very specific
technique) to match drug batches.
What is Isotope Ratio Analysis?
Atoms of carbon occur in nature with different weights; these are
known as isotopes. The proportion of these isotopes in any chemical
substance varies according to its origin.
For example, sugar that we put in tea or coffee can be produced
from two different plants. "Silver Spoon" sugar is
produced from British sugar beet. Cane sugar is produced from a type
of grass grown in the tropics, and this is used to produce
"Tate and Lyle" sugar. These two types of sugar are
chemically identical, but because they are produced by different
plants they are easily distinguished by measuring the proportions of
the two main isotopes of carbon, 13C and 12C.
The same is true of certain other elements such as nitrogen. Most
controlled substances contain both carbon and nitrogen. Measuring
the proportion of the heavier isotope compared with the lighter one
provides a ‘fingerprint’.
A study of the isotopic variation of the chemical MDMA, the
active ingredient of ecstasy tablets, has shown that there are
significant variations in isotopic composition from batch to batch.
Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometers are used to show that different
batches of bulk drug give characteristic isotopic fingerprints when
analysed for various isotopes such as carbon and nitrogen. This
analysis can provide a link between various batches of seized bulk
material.
