Simultaneous detection and quantitation of O6-monoacetylmorphine, morphine and codeine in urine by gas chromatography with nitrogen specific and/or flame ionization detection

It is of importance to differentiate heroin intake from the absorption of opiate‐containing pharmaceuticals or opiates from other sources. A method for the routine determination of O6‐monoacetylmorphine (6‐MAM), the specific metabolite of heroin in human urine, by gas chromatography and classical detectors without having recourse to gas chromatography/mass spectrometry‐selected ion mode (GC/MS‐SIM) is described. With dual detection by nitrogen selective and flame ionization detectors, the limits of detection for 6‐MAM were determined to be 2 ng/mL and 4 ng/mL urine for a 10 mL sample. When applied to urines preliminarily screened for opiates, the results appeared consistent in comparison with those obtained by GC/MS‐SIM. The method was also developed for the simultaneous quantitative analysis of morphine and codeine. The linearity was tested up to 600 ng/mL for the three compounds of interest 6‐MAM, morphine and codeine and their absolute recoveries were 76%, 78%, 75% respectively.