{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,5]],"date-time":"2026-05-05T07:12:52Z","timestamp":1777965172048,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":19,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,17]],"date-time":"2026-03-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1773705600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,17]],"date-time":"2026-03-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1773705600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Journal of Forensic Sciences"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,5]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>The analysis of heroin adulterants is critical for profiling heroin production processes and establishing links between drug\u2010related criminal cases. Acetaminophen (APAP) is a common adulterant in seized heroin, while acetylparacetamol (ACE\u2010APAP) was unexpectedly detected together with diacetylmorphine (HER) and APAP in a brown heroin sample via gas chromatography\u2013mass spectrometry (GC\u2013MS), raising the key question of whether ACE\u2010APAP was an analytical artifact from HER\u2013APAP acetylation under GC\u2013MS conditions or a genuine component of the heroin sample. To address this question, ultra\u2010high\u2010performance liquid chromatography\u2013diode array detection (UHPLC\u2013DAD) and ultra\u2010high\u2010performance liquid chromatography\u2013tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC\u2013MS\/MS) were employed for verification and confirmation: UHPLC\u2013DAD with gradient elution and 210\u2009nm detection wavelength identified APAP and ACE\u2010APAP by their characteristic retention times and UV spectra, and UHPLC\u2013MS\/MS (positive ESI, MRM and daughter ion scanning modes) confirmed the presence of specific ion pairs for APAP (m\/z 152\u201093, 110) and ACE\u2010APAP (m\/z 194\u2010110, 152) in the seized sample. Combined analyses definitively demonstrated that ACE\u2010APAP was a genuine raw material component of the heroin, rather than an artifact formed by acetylation during sample analysis. This finding further infers that APAP was added as a diluent prior to the acetylation step in heroin production\u2014a rare early dilution practice that reveals a distinctive manufacturing process of the drug trafficking group and thus provides novel and valuable forensic insights for criminal investigation and case linkage in drug\u2010related crimes.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1111\/1556-4029.70312","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,18]],"date-time":"2026-03-18T05:38:26Z","timestamp":1773812306000},"page":"1496-1506","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Analysis of a case involving the seizure of heroin and 4\u2010acetamidophenyl acetate"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"71","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1075-3017","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tian","family":"Ma","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Drugs Analysis &amp; Intelligent\u2010Monitoring, Narcotics Technology Center of Shaanxi Provincial Public Security Department National Narcotics Laboratory Shaanxi Regional Center  Xi'an Shaanxi China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_10_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/0379\u20100738(94)90043\u20104"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/B978-0-12-800213-1.00081-X"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1556\u20104029.2006.00122.x"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1556\u20104029.2009.01220.x"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1556\u20104029.2012.02285.x"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_7_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.talanta.2005.03.041"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_8_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.forsciint.2013.06.008"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_9_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.forsciint.2015.08.009"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_10_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chroma.2008.03.011"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_11_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0021\u20109673(96)00640\u20101"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_12_1","unstructured":"BarronSA.A study investigating the suitability of GCMS and GC FID techniques for the purpose of creating a robust and reproducible heroin profiling database [dissertation]. Glasgow Scotland: University of Strathclyde Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry2011.https:\/\/doi.org\/10.48730\/ghkx\u20106684"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_13_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1631\/jzus.B2100977"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_14_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00216\u2010010\u20104282\u20107"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_15_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.scijus.2011.07.005"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_16_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/00450618.2012.674976"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_17_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/dta.2238"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_18_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.drugpo.2019.07.025"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_19_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.forc.2022.100455"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_20_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.forsciint.2004.03.012"}],"container-title":["Journal of Forensic Sciences"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1111\/1556-4029.70312","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1111\/1556-4029.70312","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1111\/1556-4029.70312","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,5]],"date-time":"2026-05-05T06:46:21Z","timestamp":1777963581000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/1556-4029.70312"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,17]]},"references-count":19,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,5]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1111\/1556-4029.70312"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/1556-4029.70312","archive":["Portico"],"relation":{},"ISSN":["0022-1198","1556-4029"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0022-1198","type":"print"},{"value":"1556-4029","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,17]]},"assertion":[{"value":"2025-08-29","order":0,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2026-02-25","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2026-03-17","order":3,"name":"published","label":"Published","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}}]}}