Determination of Synthetic Cathinones in Biological Samples via Modern Separation and Electrochemical Methods

Abstract

Synthetic cathinones represent one of the main groups of new psychoactive substances. The variety and rapid distribution of the synthetic cathinones on the drug market can be explained by an easy modification of their structure and the insufficient legislation. This fact requires the development of new selective and effective analytical methods for monitoring the synthetic cathinone in biological samples. This report summarizes the current knowledge concerning the identification of synthetic cathinones, including their structure and effects. Separation methods are the most widely used techniques for the ana­lysis of synthetic cathinones in biological samples. The development of the sensor systems based on electrochemical principles can be a great contribution for forensic analysis in the future.