Sample analysis technology firm Shimadzu has released an application note that describes a method for extraction, identification, and quantitation of cocaine on paper money from nine different geographical areas around the globe.
To conduct the study - which included five samples from the US - Shimadzu used its GCMS-TQ8040 triple quadrupole mass spectrometer and its Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) monitoring mode.
Within the experimentation phase, the company analysed 15 individual paper notes and each were extracted with 10 mL of methanol, with the final volume reduced to 1 mL prior to analysis.
The study was designed to illustrate how much of the illegal drug was found on the currencies from different countries.
For instance, the $1 and $20 bills from the US easily had the highest amount of cocaine, and in at least one case it was 20-times higher than the amount found on the paper currency from the next highest country, China.
A full account of the study, including the specific research conducted, can be found in the PDF attachment above.
