Date of Submission

5-13-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Department

Forensic Science

Advisor

Alyssa L. M. Marsico, Ph.D.

Keywords

Liquid-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS), Controlled Substance Analysis, Acetaminophen, Mobile Phase Additive

MeSH

Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Controlled Substances, Acetaminophen

LCSH

Liquid chromatography, Mass spectrometry, Narcotics, Acetaminophen

Abstract

Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) is an analytical technique used to separate and identify compounds and is widely applied in forensic toxicology and controlled substance analysis due to its strong capabilities in detection, identification, and quantification. In this experiment, a method for analyzing acetaminophen was developed using mobile phases of 0.1% formic acid in water and 0.1% formic acid in methanol. Method development focused on adjusting elution time, mobile-phase gradient, and injection volume. The optimized method produced reliable analysis of acetaminophen across 100–7500 ng/mL. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through chromatograms and mass spectra of the prepared solutions. Although a fully clear baseline was not achieved, a strong linear relationship between concentration, peak area, and peak height confirmed effective chromatographic separation. These results support future work applying this method to DART-MS to evaluate whether a combined LC-MS/DART-MS workflow can provide a viable and efficient approach for acetaminophen analysis.

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