Potential 2-Aminoindane Fatality Invalidated by Careful Mass Spectrometric Analysis

We describe herewith the case of a patient presenting to the emergency department for worsening ear–nose–throat symptoms. As chemsex was evocated by the family, patient’s serum was submitted to a new psychoactive substances screening. After a simple liquid–liquid extraction, serum was injected on a high-resolution mass spectrometer using quite usual conditions (C18 column, gradient mode with acidic buffer, methanol and acetonitrile). An almost perfect match with 2-aminoindane (2-AI) was observed considering that the precursor ion was present in the sample but absent in the commercial library. Literature concerning 2-AI is sparse, and further investigations were undertaken. After injection of the reference standard, a small retention time shift has been observed (0.3 min) between the standard and the sample. The case was only closed while spiking the sample with the standard, giving rise to two distinct peaks. As a result, 2-AI was then considered as absent from the sample and death was attributed only to infection. Moreover, a rapid liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method dedicated to 2-AI was developed.
It generated the same false-positive result highlighted by significant differences observed in ion
ratios (2.37 for the sample versus 6.62 for the neat standard).