Separation and structural characterization of a synthetic cannabinoid found in a herbal product using off-line LC-DAD-NMR

A herbal product confiscated by the Finnish Customs was analyzed. No illegal compounds were found in the preliminary GC-MS screening against the mass spectral library. The most prominent compounds in the sample, however, could not be identified. These compounds of interest were characterized using an off-line LC-DAD-NMR technique with a mass-sensitive microcoil probehead. The structural analysis, confirmed by GC-MS and LC-MS studies, revealed the presence of a CP 47,497-C8 type compound with a structural modification in the cyclohexyl part of the compound. The structural modification of this potentially psychoactive compound was presumably intended to elude routine screening.