The chiral analysis of some seized drugs is important for the administration
of justice. The chapter reviews the current analytical methods that have been developed
and employed in academic, industrial and forensic laboratories, for the enantiomeric
identification and quantitation of some controlled substances, with the focus on
methamphetamine and related compounds. Although some spectroscopic methods are
discussed, separation techniques, including gas chromatography, high performance
liquid chromatography, supercritical fluid chromatography and capillary
electrophoresis, especially those coupled with mass spectroscopy, are examined in
detail. Some important terms and mechanisms associated with chiral analysis are
discussed.
Keywords: Chiral, Controlled substance, enantiomer, diastereomer, Gas
chromatography, High performance liquid chromatography, Supercritical fluid
chromatograph, Capillary electrophoresis, Optical rotation, IR, NMR.
