Detection of cocaine and metabolites from mouse femur buried in soil

Cocaine (methyl benzoylecgonine) is a naturally occurring, slightly volatile, white crystalline alkaloid with a molecular weight of 303.4 that is a potent central nervous system stimulant. Cocaine is extracted from the dried leaves of the coca plant Erythroxylum coca, a shrub indigenous to South America, and other species of Erythroxylum or by synthesis from ecgonine [1 –3] to obtain a powder. The cocaine market has been globally spreading, with steady markets and high prevalence areas in North and South America and in Western and Central Europe [4].
Source: Legal Medicine - Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Source Type: research