Search for suitable mobile phase in TLC analysis of different drugs of forensic interest and their gas liquid chromatographic experiment

central Forensic Science Laboratory, 30, Gorachand Road, Kolkata-700 014, India E-mail : kuiladk@rediffmail. com Kalyaili Government Engineering College, Kalyani-741 235, West bengal, India E-mail : sujitclahiri@yahoo.com Manuscript received 21 August 2006, accepted 7 November 2006 Cannabis and related plant products from Cannabis sativa L. (THC, CBD, CBN), opium alkaloids from Papaver somniferum L. (morphine, narcotine, codeine, thebaine, papaverine etc.), cocaine, methaqualone, have been widely used and abused all over the world. These compounds are seized and sent by the law enforcing authorities to forensic science laboratories to detect and quantitate the different constituents contained in the illicit preparations. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) is one of the most efficient method of detection of these compounds. Attempts were made to find out the suitable developing solvent systems for TLC analysis of constituents of cannabis, Opium alkaloids, cocaine and methaqualone mentioned above. The results of this study. will be helpful to (i) find the limit of detection and (ii) to make a comparative evaluation of different solvent systems for the analysis of the constituents of the above mentioned drugs. Efforts were also made to find out the retention time of some of the drugs in gas chromatographic technique