[bigOz (OP)]

I urgently need help on a topic of discussion with a close friend, who feels he has been set up by the CPS concerning some residue of a controlled drug.

The CPS are claiming that very small traces of narcotine, monactylmorphine and morphine were found on a surface, and because:

1. monactylmorphine is a breakdown product of diamorphine (heroin),

2. It in turn breaks down into morphine,

3. monactylmorphine is commonly seen along with narcotine in illicit drugs,

4. Diamorphine residue would break down (by itself) into monactylmorphine and morphine, over a period of 10 years or more,

it is a proof that the traces found were once diamorphine (heroin).

What's not clear above is:

a) Would diamorphine really break up over a period of 10 years or more into the chemical residues mentioned above, at its own accord?

b) Are there any other products/substances besides heroin that can leave such a residue over time? (I found out narcotine is sold and used legally in medication)

c) what other prescribed products may contain monactylmorphine - especially in powder form if there are any, as an alternative to heroin being its source?

c) Would narcotine break up into monactylmorphine and morphine over a long period of time?

d) Is there any official research into breaking up of chemicals like heroin over a time period, or a list of such chemicals with their expected life spans? If so where can I get the information from, online?

Any help on the above would be very much appreciated – thanks!

[Bored chemist]

a
Diamorphine would certainly hydrolyse to morphine but I don't know how quick that reaction is. It would be markedly pH dependent.
b
I can't think of any legal source of those compounds apart from prescribed heroin.
c
I can't think of any source of acetyl morphine apart from heroin and its degradation products.
c (again)
Narcotine will not convert to morphine or any of its derivatives

d
You could look at this and see if you want to spend money on the papers
http://www.google.co.uk/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLJ,GGLJ:2006-33,GGLJ:en&q=%22hydrolysis+of+diamorphine%22

I think your friend may do better if he can show that the surface may have been contaminated by someone else without his knowledge. For example if it was at his house, did he ever host a party at which some "friend of a friend" or gatecrasher may have spilled heroin that he didn't clear up fully?

[bigOz (OP)]

Thanks for your kind reply! You have passed on very useful info. I shall visit the link you've provided.  []

[bigOz (OP)]

I have an easier question. Is it possible to rinse the same area of say an adhesive surface using chemicals twice?

In this case, the first time it was rinsed, they discovered traces of cocaine and no heroin. The second time they rinse the same area (1 year later) and discover narcotine, morphine etc.  []

How's that possible?

[Bored chemist]

It mightt be an easier question, but I'm afraid I don't understand it.

[rosy]

If yu rinsed a surface twice using different solvents it's theroetically possible that different compounds might be selectively dissolved and therefore removed... say if substance A dissolved in ethanol but not in hexane and substance B dissolved in hexane (and might or might not dissolve in ethanol) then wiping a surface with hexane would detect substance B but not A but subsequently wiping with ethanol would pick up substance A (and possibly also substance B if that dissolves in ethanol too).
I have no specific knowledge at all of the compounds listed above.

[bigOz (OP)]

If yu rinsed a surface twice using different solvents it's theroetically possible that different compounds might be selectively dissolved and therefore removed... say if substance A dissolved in ethanol but not in hexane and substance B dissolved in hexane (and might or might not dissolve in ethanol) then wiping a surface with hexane would detect substance B but not A but subsequently wiping with ethanol would pick up substance A (and possibly also substance B if that dissolves in ethanol too).
I have no specific knowledge at all of the compounds listed above.

Thanks for the info rosy. But the first scientist already tested for heroin and found no traces, I would have though similar chemicals are used for testing for the second time. Also, mould you expect different chemicals to be used for substances of the same family such as morphine, diamorphine and monactylmorphine - or would one just test for heroin and the others will show too?