{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T04:58:06Z","timestamp":1787029086152,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,4,17]],"date-time":"2020-04-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1587081600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Babes Bolyai University","award":["AGC30335\/31.01.2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["AGC30335\/31.01.2020"]}]},{"name":"Babes Bolyai University","award":["AGC30334\/31.01.2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["AGC30334\/31.01.2020"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Molecules"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Sensitive real-time detection of vapors produced by the precursors, reagents and solvents used in the illegal drugs manufacture represents a priority nowadays. Acetic anhydride (AA) is the key chemical used as acetylation agent in producing the illegal drugs heroin and methaqualone. This study was directed towards quick detection and quantification of AA in air, using two fast and very sensitive analytical techniques: photoionization detection (PID) and ion mobility spectrometry (IMS). Results obtained indicated that both PID and IMS can sense AA at ultra-trace levels in air, but while PID produces a non-selective response, IMS offers richer information. Ion mobility spectrometric response in the positive ion mode presented one product ion, at reduced ion mobility K0 of 1.89 cm2 V\u22121 s\u22121 (almost overlapped with positive reactant ion peak), while in the negative ion mode two well separated product ions, with K0 of 1.90 and 1.71 cm2 V\u22121 s\u22121, were noticed. Our study showed that by using a portable, commercial IMS system (model Mini IMS, I.U.T. GmbH Berlin) AA can be easily measured at concentrations of 0.05 ppmv (0.2 mg m\u22123) in negative ion mode. Best selectivity and sensitivity of the IMS response were therefore achieved in the negative operation mode.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/molecules25081852","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,4,21]],"date-time":"2020-04-21T05:48:52Z","timestamp":1587448132000},"page":"1852","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":20,"title":["Sensing Precursors of Illegal Drugs\u2014Rapid Detection of Acetic Anhydride Vapors at Trace Levels Using Photoionization Detection and Ion Mobility Spectrometry"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"25","author":[{"given":"Victor","family":"Bocos-Bintintan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Babe\u015f-Bolyai University, Str. F\u00e2nt\u00e2nele nr. 30, RO-400294 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"George-Bogdan","family":"Ghira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Babe\u015f-Bolyai University, Str. F\u00e2nt\u00e2nele nr. 30, RO-400294 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mircea","family":"Anton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Babe\u015f-Bolyai University, Str. F\u00e2nt\u00e2nele nr. 30, RO-400294 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aurel-Vasile","family":"Martiniuc","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Technische Universit\u00e4t M\u00fcnchen, Institut f\u00fcr Informatik VI, Boltzmannstra\u00dfe 3, 85748 Garching bei M\u00fcnchen, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2615-684X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ileana-Andreea","family":"Ratiu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Babe\u0219-Bolyai University, \u201cRaluca Ripan\u201d Institute for Research in Chemistry, 30 F\u00e2nt\u00e2nele Str., RO-400294 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Environmental Chemistry and Bioanalytics, Faculty of Chemistry, Interdisciplinary Centre of Modern Technologies, Nicolaus Copernicus University, 7 Gagarina Str., 87-100 Torun, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,4,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Eiceman, G.A., and Karpas, Z. 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