Identification of sympathomimetic alkylamine agents in urine using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry and comparison of derivatization methods for confirmation analyses by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

•Alkylamines are the stimulant agents with smaller molecular size.•Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry is the most suitable for screening.•Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry is the most suitable for confirmation.•Different derivatization reactions are necessary for adequate characterization.

The detection of 11 sympathomimetic alkylamines in urine was presented with a focus on human doping control is proposed using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-QqQ) and high resolution mass spectrometry (LC–HRMS) as a screening tool after a dilute-and-shoot (DS) approach. For the LC–HRMS analyses, several compounds exhibited better limits of detection (L.O.D.) than the LC-QqQ. However, due to their small differences in structure, co-elution among the alkylamines was observed. Therefore, the chemical conversion of the alkylamines into an appropriate derivative for the confirmation analyses using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was evaluated. Five derivatization approaches were evaluated in an attempt to increase the analytical response and the confidence of the identification. The choice of the appropriated derivative for each alkylamine makes their spectra more easily interpretable, fulfills the WADA's rather strict identification criteria and enables the unequivocal identification of alkylamines in urine.