Isotopic profiling of seized benzylpiperazine and trifluoromethylphenylpiperazine tablets using δ13C and δ15N stable isotopes

•The authors determined the isotopic composition of seized piperazine-containing tablets.•The active ingredients (BZP and TFMPP) were isolated by preparative HPLC.•Statistical analysis suggested a common source of manufacture for the BZP.•13C and 15N stable isotope analysis indicated multiple sources for the TFMPP.•The authors discuss possible scenarios to account for the isotopic data.

This paper demonstrates the use of isotopic analysis of 23 benzylpiperazine (BZP) and trifluoromethylphenylpiperazine (TFMPP) containing tablets seized on two independent occasions by the Northern Territory (NT) Police, Australia. Isolation (High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)) of BZP and TFMPP followed by Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS) (carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes) analysis was performed. Results are presented for δ13C and δ15N values of the respective piperazine analogues. The isotopic data and statistical analysis suggest a common source of manufacture for the BZP samples but suggest different sources for the TFMPP isolated from the corresponding BZP containing tablets investigated. The use of IRMS in this case study demonstrated the ability to obtain information regarding the BZP/TFMPP sources unattainable via conventional chemical analysis.