Forensic Cocaine Testing Methods
Introduction
Cocaine is an addictive drug and occurs naturally in coca plants from South America. The drug poses several risks to a person’s well-being, such as paranoia, anger issues, irritability, nausea, constriction of blood vessels, over-excitement, respiratory complications, and pneumonia. Despite these effects, some people still smuggle small quantities of Cocaine through various means for illegal supply or personal consumption. Thus, forensic experts need specialized methods for examining and analyzing suspicious substances such as white powder for traces of the drug. This essay explains some of the most efficient and easy methods of testing and analyzing samples to determine traces of Cocaine, particularly in white powder.
Testing Methods
Confirmatory Test
According to the sample of investigation, there are several methods used to test for Cocaine substances. They include chromatographical-mass spectrometry trials, Confirmatory tests, Cocaine, and crack test, presumptive test, liquid chromatography, solubility test, and anion test (Harper et al., 2017). Chromatographical-mass spectrometry techniques are confirmatory test that combines mass spectrums and gas chromatography to determine different substances in a given test. The process separates the individual compounds, determines the chemical composition, and compares them against reference materials to conclude the results after the test (Harper et al., 2017). Chromatographical tests are credible since they use a set of instrumental tests in analyzing and identifying the traces of Cocaine in substances.
Presumptive Test
Another method used is the Cocaine & crack presumptive test that determines traces of Cocaine through wet chemical reactions. The test involves immersing a tiny amount of the white substance into the damp chemical and observing color changes (Harper et al., 2017). The blue color change on the wet chemical means there is the presence of Cocaine in the white powder (Harper et al., 2017). The test is accurate as it provides distinct color indications. The test is also easy to handle and interpret results. Similarly, the presumptive test also uses color indicators to detect traces of Cocaine in substances. Both tests were negative, indicating a lack of Cocaine in the white powder.
Conclusion
There are different types of tests and methods of determining traces of Cocaine in the white powder. Confirmatory tests include Gas chromatographical-mass spectrometry test (GC-MS), solubility tests, and anion tests, while presumptive tests include Cocaine and crack tests, among others. Both tests confirm traces of Cocaine through color charts where all results turned out to be negative, indicating there were no traces of Cocaine in the white powder.
Reference
Harper, L., Powell, J., & Pijl, E. M. (2017). An overview of forensic drug testing methods and their suitability for harm reduction point-of-care services. Harm Reduction Journal, 14, 52. Web.