Determination of the heroin metabolite 6-monoacetyl-morphine in urine by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection.

A procedure has been developed for detection and quantitation of 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM), the specific metabolite of heroin in human urine. 6-MAM was isolated by solid-phase extraction, and the extracts were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection in the oxidizing mode. Good linearity was obtained in the concentration range 10-250 ng/mL. Concentrations of 2 ng 6-MAM/mL can be detected using a 2-mL sample of urine. The method has been verified in urine samples of heroin abusers.