Rapid screeningof street drugs
including new psychoactive substances
using the X-Pulse analyser

Why is rapid identification
important?
Rapid identification of suspected drugs is important in prisons to reduce harm byallowing appropriate treatment to be given without delay. It can be used to deter
the use of illegal substances by providing effective enforcement.
When used by the police service, rapid analysis and identification can be used
to expedite charging decisions. It can provide the sample results within custody,
impacting directly on numbers of offenders released under investigation or onbail, reducing forensic costs.
When used by forensic services, rapid analysis and identification can significantly
reduce consumables overhead from current techniques, while also providing aroute to determine the structure of new and unknown substances.

i• Very high “hit” rate, with very low rate of false positives• High specificity means precise identification of materials and better
intelligence-gathering• Routine operation by non-experts?
What types of samples can be measured?
X-Pulse can measure powders, tablets, tobacco-like materials suchas “spice”and substances coated on or impregnated into paper.
X-Pulse's database currently has information on many classesof substances including: cathinones, synthetic cannabinoids,
amphetamines, narcotics, fentanyls, steroids, cutting agents,
controlled pharmaceuticals and others.

How do we prepare
and measure samples?
Sample preparation involves mixing some of the sample with a small
amount of liquid (solvent) in a vial, then transferring the dissolved
sample into a X-Pulse sample tube. The whole process takes a few
minutes.
Powders and smoking blends are put straight into the vial. Tablets
should first be crushed. Paper samples should be cut into small
pieces, or a thin strip can be rolled up. The solvent will extract orwash off the active ingredient.
The sample tube is then placed in the instrument and a few mouseclicks will start the measurement. The measurement itself will
normally take no more than five minutes - sometimes longer if thesample is small or of low strength.

How does X-Pulse identify drugs?
Inside the X-Pulse computer is a database of several hundred“fingerprints” of drugs, psychoactive substances and common
legal pharmaceuticals such as paracetamol. When a sample is run
on X-Pulse, it searches the database for a match to the sample’s
fingerprint. If it finds a match, it will tell you what the sample is. If
it doesn't, it will give you a “best guess”, based on other classes ofcompounds in the database. Whenever we find samples that are
not in the database, we work with our partners to analyse themand add their fingerprints to the database.

What is X-Pulse?
X-Pulse is a Magnetic Resonance (MR) analyser. MR is an analytical technique used to identify
materials by their chemical structure. Any organic material, such as a drug, generates a spectrum
or “fingerprint” of the molecule which we can use to identify it.
Drugs that are very similar in structure will have similar MR spectra, but there are enoughdifferences to give each drug its own unique fingerprint. For example, the diagram below shows
the chemical structure of three cathinones, together with their MR spectra. The arrows indicate
which peaks in the spectra come from which parts of the molecules.
The peaks in the class identification region on the right identify them all as cathinones, but thepeaks in the fingerprint region on the left distinguish between them.

We’re here to help you!
OiService aims to keep your X-Pulse working as hard as you do.
Our global network of service hubs provides a full range of technical support:
Consumables and accessories
Range of sample tubes and otheraccessories available.

Online diagnostics
In-depth support over the internet.

Telephone help-desks
For a fast response to your problem.

Extended warranties
Avoid unplanned costs.

Maintenance contracts
Ensures your analyser produces
the right result every time.

Training
Understand your analyser
and its features.

© Oxford Instruments Industrial Products Ltd
trading as Oxford Instruments Magnetic Resonance, 2021.
All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Part no: X-Pulse NPS MR/201/0121

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MORE INFORMATION
Contact us at: https://nmr.oxinst.com
or you can email us at magres@oxinst.com