thiopental and butalbital

Four commonly used barbiturates (phenobarbital, butalbital, pentobarbital and thiopental) were analyzed in human serum using supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and negative ionization LC/ESI-MS/MS. Barbital was used as the internal standard. Carbon dioxide SFE was performed at 40 degrees C and 500 atm, with a total extraction time of 35 min. The analytes were collected off-line in a liquid trap containing absolute methanol. Samples were then concentrated by vacuum centrifugation. The high performance liquid chromatography separation utilized gradient elution with a total analysis time of 21 min. The precursor and major product ions for the four barbiturates were monitored on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer with negative ion electrospray ionization (ESI) in the multiple reaction monitoring mode as follows: (1) thiopental (m/z 241.20-->58.00), (2) phenobarbital (m/z 231.10-->188.0), (3) pentobarbital (m/z 225.10-->181.90) and (4) butalbital (m/z 222.80-->179.90). In the case of phenobarbital, pentobarbital and butalbital, the most abundant product ion arises from the loss of 43 u (HCNO loss). However, in the case of thiopental, the most abundant product ion was observed at m/z 58.0 (the [M-183]-ion, or NCS-). Mechanisms for the formation of the collision induced dissociation reaction products of these barbiturates are proposed.

Topics: Barbiturates; Chromatography, Liquid; Humans; Hypnotics and Sedatives; Mass Spectrometry; Pentobarbital; Phenobarbital; Solutions; Thiopental