Degradation products of the abuse deterrent agent Poly(ethylene) oxide under thermal manipulation conditions

Poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) is a physical barrier for abuse that presents in a high concentration in the abusedeterrent formulations (ADFs) to render any form of manipulation challenging and consequently nonprofitable. However, the PEO's abuse-deterrent properties were evaluated in the literature; little is known about what happens to the PEO during the heating/sublimation process. In this research, thermal degradation products of the heat-treated polymer samples were evaluated using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry MALDI-TOF MS, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and Proton nuclear magnetic resonance H-1 NMR. Results indicated that thermal degradation products of the polymer include the toxic byproducts carbonyls, aldehydes, hydroperoxides, and hydroxyl groups. The % intensity of the degradation product with the Mass (m/z) = 132.9 increased from 16.05 to 45.99 when heated for 20 min and 45 min, respectively. Blending the polymer samples with the antioxidant butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) prevented the appearance of carbonyls, aldehydes, hydroperoxides, and hydroxyl groups, while promethazine hydrochloride PMZ HCl promoted the degradation process of the polymer. On the other hand, the intensity of the formate peak (similar to 8.1 ppm) detected by H-1 NMR increased significantly in the polymer sample blended with the commonly used opioid compound Oxycodone HCl.