Two hundred and twenty-three vitreous humor specimens, which were obtained from a medical examiner's office, were found to be opiate positive (cutoff, 50 ng/mL) by fluorescence polarization immunoassay. All samples were analyzed for their free codeine, morphine, and 6-acetylmorphine contents by a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry protocol. 6-Acetylmorphine was found (cutoff, 10 ng/mL) in 41 specimens in the concentration range of 10-125 ng/mL. Twenty specimens had a free codeine-free morphine concentration ratio > or = 1. Eighty-five samples that were found to contain 50 ng/mL free morphine were further analyzed for their total codeine and total morphine contents. Total codeine-total morphine concentration ratios in 8 (of the 85 samples) were > or = 1, whereas this ratio in the others (only those with a codeine concentration high than 15 ng/mL were included) was significantly lower than 1. The codeine-morphine concentration ratio in vitreous humor appears to resemble that reported for blood and urine and can be used as the basis for differentiating between codeine- and morphine- (heroin-) induced fatalities.

Cause of Death↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Simultaneous quantitation of morphine and codeine in biological samples by electron impact mass fragmentography.

A method was developed for the quantitative determination of free morphine and codeine utilizing multiple ion detection mass fragmentography. Samples were spiked with nalorphine (internal standard), extracted and converted to pentafluoropropionyl (PFP) derivatives prior to GC/MS analysis. The PFP derivatives were separated chromatographically on a 5% OV-1 column. The base peak and molecular ion of the El mass spectra were at m/e 414 and 577; 282 and 445; and 440 and 603, for morphine-PFP, codeine-PFP and nalorphine-PFP, respectively. These multiple ions were monitored and the peak area ratio relative to nalorphine-PFP was used as the basis for quantitation. Other drugs studied were found not to interfere with this method.

Codeine↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Lack of correlation between carboxyhemoglobin and cyanide in smoke inhalation injury.

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Adolescent↗