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Date Rape Drug Adulterated Beverage Testing AnalysisVersion 1.2 Indicator Formulations James McCafferty Southern Research Group December 17, 2002 © Copyright 2002 Southern Research Group – All Rights Reserved |
This report is to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (GHB) and Ketamine test indicators utilized by Drink Safe Technology.
Sixty popular beverages were selected for testing with the aforementioned date rape drugs. The chosen beverages cover a broad variety of drink types such as fruit based, colas and sodas, wines, hard liquors, mixed drinks, beers, tea, coffee and different bottled waters.
The beverages were randomly selected for testing from the following master list:
| Coca-Cola Orange slice Coffee (cream/sugar) Apple Juice Dasani Water Vitamin Water (red) Budweiser Amstel Light Mikes Hard Lemonade Amoretto Cosmopolitan Gin Martini Whiskey Sour Malibu & Pineapple 2/Cabernet Sauvignon 2/Chardonnay 2/Zinfandel Champagne Vodka Martini |
Diet Coke 7-UP Tea (plain) Cranberry Juice Water Evian Red Bull Bud Lite Heineken Bartles & James Original Jagermeister Margarita Screwdriver Sex on the Beach Mai Tai Pepsi Mountain Dew red Kool Aid cherry Snapple Iced Tea Sea Breeze |
Perrier
Water
Miller Genuine Draft Corona Whiskey Jack Daniel's Martini & Rossi Fuzzy Navel Bay breeze Rum & Coke Bloody Mary Diet Pepsi Coffee (plain) Orange Juice Arizona Ice Tea Gatorade (green) Coors Light Bacardi Silver Bailey's Irish Cream Long Island Ice Tea White Wine Spritzer |
All mixed drink recipe formulations were obtained from www.webtender.com and/or www.barflies.com. All beverages as well as the ingredients for all mixed drinks were purchased at random from stores open to the public.
Testing Protocol
Testing of the beverages was accomplished through an in-depth 5 step process:
Step #1 The manufacture of uniform Gamma Hydroxybutyrate
(GHB) and Ketamine indicator test cards.
Step #2 The drug response calibration of the test cards.
Step #3 Beverage preparations and set up.
Step #4 The application of non-adulterated beverages
to the test cards.
Step #5 The application of Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (GHB)
and Ketamine adulterated drinks to the test cards.
Step #1 The manufacture of uniform Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (GHB) and Ketamine test cards. |
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The following test card was designed using the
same paper substrate that the current production test units are manufactured
with.
The top section is for card calibration with controls The bottom section is for indicator solution codes, beverage name, date, and experiment number. The drug test indicators were applied uniformly to each test card. These were taken from actual production batch retains. The Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (GHB) indicator was from batch T131018020 and was applied to the test area at .0055 grams/cm2. The Ketamine indicator was batch KA101802 and was applied at .0045 grams/ cm2. All test cards were allowed to dry thoroughly. |
Step #2 The drug response calibration of the test cards |
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Before use, each test card was calibrated with known drug standards. This step authenticated the viability of the test card to respond properly. These standards have been used regularly as controls throughout the development of the test indicators so their reaction responses are well understood. The drug control standards
used were: Each control standard was then applied to its corresponding numbered test area. These were applied by dragging the control dropper across the indicator test area. This created a 1.35 cm2 reaction area on the test card and dispensed an average of .02 grams of control test solution. In order for a test card to be approved for beverage analysis the following color pattern had to be present. GHB 011102G Medium Blue Ketamine 121101K Heavy Blue All drug control solutions were prepared in proprietary solutions to depict certain types of beverage formulations. This is why 012402G#24 gave no reaction. Background Data and ProtocolsBeverage adulteration testing was set at the following concentration levels: GHB = 3 grams mixed into 8 fluid ounce beverage All beverages were tested at their serving temperatures. Hot drinks such as coffee and tea at 97oC (206oF), room temperature drinks at 25oC (77oF), and cold drinks at ~4oC (38-39oF). The chemical make up of the drinks tested was predominately water based. Certain types of drinks have ancillary chemicals that are in higher detectable concentrations such as sodas (sugars) and vodka (ethyl alcohol) but these, too, are still water based formulations. Water is at its densest at 3.98oC (~39oF). This was the serving temperature used for the tested cold drinks. At this temperature the universal water constant 1 gram = 1 milliliter is relevant. Even though the tested drinks have theoretical
density differences and, therefore, weight differences per volume,
to make the testing beverage measurements uniform the constant 1
gram = 1 ml was applied for all measurements. Accordingly, the following
measurements were considered to be applicable: GHB = 126.1 molecular weight 3 grams GHB / 8 ounce beverage (adulteration level standard) GHB molarity = .099M * Ketamine = 274.2 molecular weight 1 gram Ketamine / 8 ounce beverage (adulteration level standard) Ketamine molarity = .015M * * Theoretically molarity is defined as “moles/liter of solution”.
By adding the drugs to a known volume, the volume has slightly increased
which would result in a slightly lower molar value. For example Ketamine
theoretical molar concentration would be limited to 0036 moles/236.96
mls (this increase allows for the maximum volume change). Ice was used as called for in the beverage. The drink would be made and allowed to sit for 3 to 5 minutes. The beverage would then be decanted off into the 3 sample containers and then adulterated. This way the requested testing adulteration concentration would be maintained. Another way to think about ice is that in solid form it actually increases the concentration of the adulterated drug in the drink liquid. For example, you order the exact drink (a soft drink) twice - one with ice, one without. They come to the table in identical 8 ounce glasses and are at the same volume level. The glass with ice has 4 large one ounce ice cubes. Effectively, there is only 4 ounces of soda in that glass while the ice free one has 8 ounces of soda. If someone slipped 1 gram of Ketamine into each glass the one with the ice would be twice as concentrated. This concentration is way above the requested lower test limit. It would not be until all the ice has melted that the two glasses would have the same concentration. Beverages that had to be formulated from recipes were made exactly to the individual drink specifications. In other words, if the recipe called for some type of fruit garnish (cherry, olive, lemon wedge, etc.), it was included in the drink. |
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Step #3 Beverage Preparations and Set Up |
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| In order as to minimize the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) drug disposal problem, all beverage amounts were scaled down into 3 separate test solutions of 1 fluid ounce (29.5 grams) each. These consisted of the same drink being divided and weighed into three separately labeled sample bottles, Plain (non-adulterated control), G (GHB adulterated), and K (Ketamine adulterated). In the ‘G’ bottle would be 29.5 grams of beverage and .37 grams of GHB. In the ‘K’ bottle would be 29.5 grams of beverage and .12 grams of Ketamine. The Plain bottle would be used as a control. Serving temperature was maintained during testing. | |
Step #4 The application of non-adulterated plain beverages to the test cards |
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As demonstrated with test card 102802A, Plain Coca-Cola was applied 3 times to each test indicator for a total of .11 grams per 6 test tracks. This means each area received about .0183 grams plain beverage in its 1.25 cm2 test track with a drink stirrer. The beverage was then allowed to react. No blue color change indicated that the drink control did not react with the indicators. A reaction to a blue hue would have been judged a false positive. In fact the natural coloration of the drink left a faint tan hue on the indicators. The test result color was then recorded as a Pantone color. |
Step #5 The application of GHB and Ketamine adulterated beverages |
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| Using an ordinary drink stirrer straw,
a sample of GHB adulterated beverage was then applied in 3 tracks to
it’s
assigned test area. Each track received an average of .03 grams beverage
over its 1.25 cm2 area. This test was then timed for the visual presence
of a definitive blue color indicating a positive drug recognition by
the GHB indicator. The test result color was then recorded as a Pantone
color.
The same technique was used for the application of the Ketamine adulterated beverages. Application coverage averaged the same as the GHB adulterated coverage. The test tracks were then timed for the visual presence of a definitive blue color indicating a positive drug recognition by the Ketamine indicator. The test result color was then recorded as a Pantone color. Multiple test tracks were chosen for each test to provide a thorough visual means of recognition. This made the visual Pass / Fail identification easier to ascertain. A definitive positive test would be recorded by either indicator creating a blue hue in the tested track area. Positive GHB observed colors were between Pantone 341U (deep teal) to Pantone 297U (sky blue). Positive Ketamine observed colors were between Pantone 324U (very light blue/green) to Pantone 283U (light purple/blue). The natural colors of the beverages demonstrated only slight color interference. The natural color of the drink would move the blue response in the direction of the drinks natural color. This is demonstrated in experiment #111502B Cabernet Sauvignon #2. The natural red color of the wine moved the GHB color response to 341U (deep teal) and the Ketamine response to 283U (light purple/blue). Red + Blue = Purple. |
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Concluding Remarks: |
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It was noticed that after performing several tests that there were two types of Positive responses demonstrated by the GHB test indicator. These were characterized as:
An excellent example of this is experiment #112002D, Mai Tai. The drink in the safe plain configuration turns the GHB indicator to a yellow. The GHB adulterated sample displays a green color. The difference between the two signifies that there is a chemical difference between them. Accordingly, it could be considered a Qualified Positive response. |
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Notice the distinct difference in color between the plain Mai Tai and the GHB adulterated test tracks. This response turned out to be typical with high fruit concentration type drinks. Ketamine always demonstrated as a definitive blue response. No qualified type of response was observed. Only two beverages, the Long Island Ice Tea and the Margarita demonstrated too close of a color comparison in the Qualified Positive category to safely say that the beverage was not adulterated. All the tests were run using identical techniques of beverage application and letting the test cards sit flat on the lab bench for a timed color observation. It was observed that in using this approach certain beverages took longer than others to react. This turned out to be a factor of the amount of beverage applied and its chemical make up. High sugar / syrup beverages took the longest times to dry and develop to a blue color. In public, the time to reaction could be shortened by:
These types of actions have demonstrated up to a 50% decrease in reaction time length. It should be noted that there is a minimum time needed for the reaction to develop properly. This is a microscopic chemical reaction taking place on the card and it must have time to complete its reactions in order for full color changes to be observed. The dry drug test indicator spots must be wetted by the beverage, then allowed to react with the drug in the beverage, and then dry to form a crystal whose color can signify the presence of the drug. It was observed especially with some Ketamine results that a minimum of time was needed for a well defined visual result to be observed. Drinks of high chemical purity and high alcohol content such as vodka or martinis could evaporate so fast that the chemical identification reaction had insufficient time to react and therefore gave fainter color responses than slower to dry beverages. Only one double false positive (in the same drink for both drugs) response was observed. In this instance the natural chemistry of the drink caused the indicators to react without any drugs present. It was Bailey’s Irish Cream. The test indicators have demonstrated that they can reliably detect
the presence of GHB and Ketamine in a wide variety of beverage types.
The GHB indicator has shown that it has the capability of qualifying
a drink’s “safeness” by changing color away from what
the plain “safe” beverage would be normally if adulterated
with GHB. In order to know this ahead of time an individual would simply
test the beverage at home to see what a plain response should be. If
a test was then done with the same beverage bought in public or outside
of the home environment and different colorization occurred, the user
would then be aware that the chemistry of the beverage was not normal.
This would indicate to the user that there was a potential for some type
of adulteration and they should exe The chemical sensitivity of the drug test indicators has proven to be rather extraordinary. Beverage test samples averaged .03 grams per track. This means that with only .000376 grams of GHB or .000126 grams of Ketamine present in the samples, a positive reaction response was able to develop. The testing of the beverages was performed as accurately as possible. Certain judgments were made to facilitate testing and the expense that goes along with it. For example, molarity was calculated on a theoretical maximum volume change. We could have made real volumetric solutions using the drugs. This would have used over 4 grams of Ketamine and 12 grams of GHB and produced 2 liters of DEA controlled waste to dispose of. The difference between the theoretical and the real world number would be no more than .0006M. Another example is in the control concentration of Ketamine 053102 STD .416% by weight. The true standard by weight (1 gram Ketamine into 236 grams beverage) would be .421 %. We chose to use the .416% solution since we had been using it for 6 months and knew how it behaved. Being .005% less in concentration enabled us to develop a more sensitive Ketamine indicator. |
| Table: | |
| Definitive Blue Responses | |
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| GHB Qualified Responses | |
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Beverage Formulations: |
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| Rum & Coke Rum = 4.0 ounces Coca-Cola = 8 ounces White Wine Spritzer White Wine = 6 ounces Club Soda = 2 ounces Vodka Martini Vodka = 1.5 ounces Vermouth = .76 ounces Olive = 1 Ice, stirred then removed Cosmopolitan Vodka = 1 ounce Triple Sec = .5 ounce Lime Juice = .5 ounce Cranberry Juice = .5 ounce Lime Wedge = 1 Ice, shake drink Kool-Aid Kool-Aid = 4 ounces Water = 64 ounces Tea, hot Tea = 1 bag Water = 8 ounces Coffee, hot (black) Ground Coffee = 1 ounce Water = 48 ounces Coffee, hot (cream & sugar) Coffee = 8 ounces Sugar = .35 ounce Cream = .5 ounce Chardonnay #1 2001 Vendange Chardonnay #2 Glen Ellen Cabernet Sauvignon #1 Ernest & Julio Gallo Twin Valley Cabernet Sauvignon #2 Frei Brothers Redwood Creek White Zinfandel #1 Ernest & Julio Gallo Twin Valley White Zinfandel #2 Turning Leaf Reserve 2001 Martini (traditional) Gin = 1.5 ounces Dry Vermouth = .75 ounce Olive = 1 Screwdriver Vodka = 2 ounces Orange Juice = 3 ounces Ice = 3 cubes |
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