The Analysis of Ecstasy Tablets by Icp/ms and Icp/aes

In this study, tablets coming from different police seizures (in Switzerland) were analysed by ICP/MS and ICP/AES. Two methods of preparation were carried out in order to compare the influence of sample preparation. 25 elements were screened by ICP/AES whereas most of the periodic table could be screened by ICP/MS. Approximative detection limits were determined for most of the elements showing, as expected, a greater sensitivity for ICP/MS. The inter-variability was studied by analysing 20 tablets coming from the same batch and another 20 tablets coming from another batch. The reproducibility of each detection technique was also evaluated. Within day, and depending of the element, the standard deviation can vary between 1 and 10%. The most frequent elements found were Ca, Mg, Na, K, Al, Si and Fe. Full results are presented and discussed.