Evaluating novel silica hydride-based stationary phases for the analysis of phytocannabinoids and other psychoactive drugs.

Three silica hydride based novel chromatographic phases chemically-bonded with allyloxy-DL-alpha-tocopherol, allylpentafluorophenyl, and 1-eicosene moieties were evaluated as separation media for selected phytocannabinoids and other substances of abuse. In order to assess column selectivity, a series of reference standards was analyzed and detected by using liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry. Further, quantitative detections of cannabidiol and tetrahydrocannabinol were attempted for the extracts of cannabis plants and cannabidiol gummy formulation. For potential bioanalytical applications, the columns were evaluated for substance screening in a human urine matrix. In summary, the newly developed columns are functional and effective for the analysis of phytocannabinoids and various psychoactive drugs with or without the presence of biological matrices.