Screening of “spice” herbal mixtures: From high-field to low-field proton NMR

- Both high- and low-field NMR were used for the screening of 41 spice herbal mixtures.
- Low-field NMR allows the detection of synthetic cannabinoids in herbal blends.
- Quantification of synthetic cannabinoids were performed using high-field 1H NMR.

Forty one samples of herbal spices intended to be introduced into the European market and seized by the French customs were analysed with high-field 1H NMR. Nine synthetic cannabinoids (MAM-2201, JWH-073, JWH-210, JWH-122, JWH-081, JWH-250, UR-144, XLR-11 and AKB-48-5F) were detected and quantified. The ability of a compact benchtop low-field NMR spectrometer for a rapid screening of the content of herbal blends was then successfully explored for the first time. Even if low-field 1H NMR spectra are much less resolved than high-field spectra, we demonstrate that they provide valuable clues on the chemical structures of synthetic cannabinoids with the detection of some typical signals.

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