THE DIFFERENTIATION OF ILLICIT METHAQUALONE TABLET FORMULATIONS USING PRINCIPAL COMPONENT AND SOFT INDEPENDENT MODELING OF CLASS ANALOGY ANALYSIS OF THEIR NEAR-INFRARED REFLECTANCE SPECTRA

The viability of using principal component analysis (PCA) and soft independent modeling of class analogy analysis (SIMCA) of the near-infrared reflectance spectra of illicit methaqualone tablet formulations as an aid in sample differentiation was investigated. Near-infrared spectra of ten different illicit species occurring on the South African market was obtained through direct diffuse reflectance measurements made on the tablet surfaces using a bidirectional fiber-bundle probe. The learning set was analyzed using PCA and SIMCA and resolved in well-separated clusters thus making differentiation possible.