Major
Forensic Science
Anticipated Graduation Year
Senior
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
The subject compound, 1,3-dimethylamylamine (DMAA), is a “natural” stimulant found in nutritional supplements, weight loss, and athletic performance-enhancing products. This amphetamine-like compound is linked to cardiovascular problems such as shortness of breath, arrhythmias, chest tightness, heart attacks, and multiple deaths [ref 1]. DMAA was banned in 2010 by the International Association of Athletics and the International Olympic Committee which both abide by the policies set forth by the World Anti-Doping Agency [ref 2]. Our laboratory recently developed a quantitative method to determine the presence and amount of DMAA in commercial products by GC-FID and GC-MS. The purpose of this project was to optimize the sensitivity of the existing analytical method to quantitate DMAA via derivatization using alkanoic anhydrides of varying molecular weight.
Faculty Mentors & Instructors
Dr. James V. DeFrancesco, Senior Lecturer, Forensic Science/Chemistry and Biochemistry
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Optimization of GC Assay for 1,3-dimethylamylamine
The subject compound, 1,3-dimethylamylamine (DMAA), is a “natural” stimulant found in nutritional supplements, weight loss, and athletic performance-enhancing products. This amphetamine-like compound is linked to cardiovascular problems such as shortness of breath, arrhythmias, chest tightness, heart attacks, and multiple deaths [ref 1]. DMAA was banned in 2010 by the International Association of Athletics and the International Olympic Committee which both abide by the policies set forth by the World Anti-Doping Agency [ref 2]. Our laboratory recently developed a quantitative method to determine the presence and amount of DMAA in commercial products by GC-FID and GC-MS. The purpose of this project was to optimize the sensitivity of the existing analytical method to quantitate DMAA via derivatization using alkanoic anhydrides of varying molecular weight.