Improved Extraction and LC/MS/MS Analysis of Barbiturates from Urine Samples Using Strata™-X-Drug N SPE and Kinetex® Core-Shell HPLC/UHPLC Columns

The Strata™-X-Drug N SPE sorbent from Phenomenex is shown to provide both time and solvent savings, which can be multiplied when screening several samples at once, making it faster and more profitable for forensic labs to screen barbiturate samples. By pairing this improved extraction with a sensitive LC/MS/MS method on a Kinetex 2.6 μm C18 core-shell HPLC column, labs can resolve all 5 barbiturates screened including pentobarbital and amobarbital, which has proved difficult using older HPLC methods.