Automatic Detection of Low Concentrations of Fentanyl in Acetaminophen Using Commercial Off-the-Shelf Non-Radioactive Ionization Ion Mobility Spectrometry

Drug overdoses in the United States of America reached over 110 000 in 2023 with a large percentage due to fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. While provisional data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows a decrease of 26.9% in drug overdoses in the United States during 2024, these numbers are still staggering. Fentanyl is used medicinally to manage pain in dosage forms such as intravenous solutions, oral transmucosal lozenges, and transdermal patches. It has potency ∼100 times that of morphine, so these dosage forms effectively manage delivery of the small amount of fentanyl required to achieve the desired therapeutic effect. In recent years, illicit powder versions of fentanyl have become available. Small amounts are mixed with other drugs and cutting agents. These low-dose-fentanyl mixtures emerged as a threat. It is necessary to identify fentanyl in these mixtures to mitigate risk to illicit-drug users, first responders, and the public at large. Although there are several spectroscopic methods used for the reliable detection and identification of fentanyl as an unadulterated powder, these methods are unable to achieve the limits of fentanyl detection required in low-dose mixtures. The purpose of this study was to determine whether commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) with a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) non-radioactive ionization source and preprogrammed fentanyl detection algorithms could be used to detect and identify fentanyl at low concentrations in an acetaminophen matrix. Acetaminophen is commonly encountered in illicit drug samples. The use of preprogrammed detection algorithms is consistent with how field users operate, relying on methods that have been optimized by the instrument manufacturer for an established set of target threats. This research shows that COTS IMS which uses a DBD non-radioactive ionization source and preprogrammed fentanyl detection algorithms can detect fentanyl at concentrations as low as 0.1% (w/w) in acetaminophen.