Method for detecting amine-containing drugs in body fluids by sims

A method of analyzing for an amine-containing drug in a body fluid, comprising the steps of:

• pre-selecting the drug which is to be analyzed for in said body fluid;
• admixing said body fluid with a solvent to form a sample wherein any said pre-selected drug contained in said body fluid is dissolved in said solvent;
• acylating said sample with an acylating reagent to acylate any primary and secondary amines contained in said sample;
• adding an alkyl group to any said pre-selected drug in the sample by quaternizing any said pre-selected drug in the sample with a quaternizing reagent or alkylating any said pre-selected drug in the sample with a charged alkylating reagent to form an ionic derivative of any quantity of said pre-selected drug contained in said sample, thereby forming a derivatized sample;
• depositing said derivatized sample upon a surface compatible with secondary ion mass spectrometry analysis techniques;
• bombarding said derivatized sample with a particle beam to desorb any ionic derivative contained in said derivatized sample thereby forming a bombarded sample;
• and
• analyzing said bombarded sample to determine the quantity of any desorbed ionic derivative using secondary ion mass spectrometry.