Methamphetamine Frequently Asked Questions

http://www.lycaeum.org/drugs/Amphetamines/meth-faq.html

Methamphetamine Frequently Asked Questions

deadlock@paranoia.com April 15, 1996

Abstract
Surprisingly, there does not appear to be a comprehensive source of information
relating to methamphetamine. While no list is ever complete, this one attempts to
answer technical questions related to the chemical methamphetamine. Unfortunately,
there tends to be a great deal of street lore that is blatantly wrong about
methamphetamine and similar compounds. This document also attempts to point out
some of the more common myths, and provide rational explanations.

Disclaimer
Do not use this information. I am not a chemist. This is for informational
purposes only. Use of this information for illegal purposes is not condoned. The
author makes no warranty, expressed or implied, of the suitability of this
information for any particular purpose. The author does not endorse the abuse of
any drugs, legal or otherwise. This information has been gathered from openly
available sources. This is a preliminary document and should be considered
fictitious until proven otherwise.

Overview
Methamphetamine (also known as speed, meth, crystal, crank, and sometimes
confusingly called ice) is a chemical widely known for its stimulant properties on
the human body. It is frequently confused with other drugs that share similar
symptoms, including amphetamine, 4-methyl-aminorex, ephedrine, caffeine, and other
chemicals, both legal and illegal.

Terminology
In this document, we shall refer to the drugs by their common chemical names,
rather than by "street names", since the street names do not have a one-to-one
correspondence to actual chemicals. For example, the term "speed" can mean
methamphetamine or amphetamine. The term "ice" is generally considered to apply to
4-methyl-aminorex, but is often used to refer to relatively pure (and in some
cases, not so pure) forms of methamphetamine.

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We shall use the term "methamphetamine" to refer to the substance in either its
free base (i.e. simple, unadorned) or salt (usually hydrochloride) form. When
precision is needed, we shall explicitly state one form or the other.

Pharmacology
This is one of the most difficult sections to write, partially because there is
very little "science" involved. The literature gives conflicting reports, due to
the fact that many criterion are subjective, and probably also due to confusion
over terminology. The pharmacological effects of methamphetamine are very similar
to those of similarly structured molecules.

Administration
Methamphetamine can be taken orally, snorted, smoked or injected, in approximately
increasing order of immediacy of onset.

Onset
Onset can be immediate (in the case of injection), or can take as long as 30-40
minutes if ingested orally.

Duration
Duration is subjective, but is probably on the order of 4 - 8 hours. Delayed
absorption (for example, due to oral ingestion) can prolong the effects relative
to time of administration. Of course, larger doses last longer due to the fact
that it is removed from the blood at a finite rate.

Plasma Life
The length of time that methamphetamine will stay in the plasma (blood) is between
4 to 6 hours. It can be detected in the urine one hour after use and up to 48
hours after use.

Dosage
A toxic reaction (or overdose) can occur at relatively low levels, 50 milligrams
of pure drug for a non-tolerant user. Different peoples' metabolisms work at
different rates, and drug strengths vary, so there is no way of stating a "safe"
or "unsafe" level of use.

Effects
These include euphoria, hyperexcitability, extreme nervousness, accelerated
heartbeat, sweating, dizziness, restlessness, insomnia, tooth grinding, incessant
talking, and other effects. Methamphetamine and other CNS stimulants have strong
bronchodilation effects. Vasoconstriction (tightening of blood vessels) and pupil
dilation are also common. Elevated blood pressure, heart rate, and other general
symptoms of increased sympathetic nervous activity. The physical effects are
almost assuredly due to interactions between the amphetamine structure and human
physiology, probably due to the similarity to adrenaline (epinephrine).
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Mental capacity is not diminished directly by the drug. In fact, some studies have
shown slight increases in mental capacity on simple tasks. It has been prescribed
for attention deficit disorder, among other things. Confusing reports here tend to
center around the effects of fatigue on mental capacity. Emotional responses may
range from euphoria to anger and paranoia. Preliminary doses tend to produce the
former, while continued use (e.g. for three or more days) tends to produce the
latter. It appears that these feelings may be linked to the neurotransmitters
dopamine and/or serotonin, although I have not seen a good reference on this yet.

For More Information

Add references for pharmacological data here

Chemistry
This is the easiest section to write, and the most fun, since I can be relatively
sure of the facts.

Molecular Information
All information is on free base unless otherwise noted. Naming Methamphetamine
Free Base: Chem Abstract Service (9th+ CIP) uninverted name: N,alpha-
Dimethylbenzeneethanamine Previous name: d-N,alpha-dimethylphenethylamine
Alternate Names: d-N-methylamphetamine d-deoxyephedrine (e.g. right-handed
ephedrine, minus an oxygen) d-desoxyephedrine 1-phenyl-2-methylaminopropane d-
phenylisopropylmethane methyl-beta-phenylisopropylamine Trademarks: Norodin
Methamphetamine Hydrochloride: What we mean by hydrochloride is that it has formed
a "salt". The basic structure is unchanged, but an HCl molecule has become
attracted to the free base. In this case, the hydrogen from the HCl has become
attracted to the nitrogen in the free base.

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You will notice that the salt form is much more common. This is for physiological
reasons. The same reaction which attracts the free base to HCl could also attract
it to other molecules, causing irritation and other symptoms. Trademarks:
Amphedroxyn Desfedrin Methedrine (many others) Structure

Formula Methamphetamine Free Base: C6H6CH2CH(NHCH3)CH3 Hill Convention: C10H15N

Molecular Weight 149.24 Percent Composition C 80.48% H 10.13% N 9.39% Melting
Point 170-175 degrees C Chirality Explain isomers in chemical terms. The human
terms: The d- is cool, the l- is shit, remember. If you have time, energy, and
equipment, you can separate the two and reprocess the l- into d- by oxidizing it
and reaminating it as described in the "critique" of the Phrack synthesis.

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Discuss other opinions (some say chirality does not matter, etc.) For More
Information The Merck Index

Synthesis
Industrial Methods
(add references) Reduction of ephedrine or pseudoephedrine Reducing condensation
product of BMK and methylamine Synthesis from D-phenylalanine

Field Methods
General Add a lot here on different methods. From: lamontg@u.washington.edu
(Lamont Granquist) jkenner@cello.gina.calstate.edu (Jason Kennerly) writes:
Manufacturing methamphetamine, on the other hand, requires the use of not just
ether, but reducing agents such as LiAlH4. BAD STUFF! There are other recipes, but
none to practical to attempt. Apartment manufacture of meth is not possible.
Reduction of ephedrine with HI is a little better than LAH reduction. Condensation
Product of Phenylacetone and Methylamine From: ez026264@dale.ucdavis.edu (Speed
Raver) Assuming you don't have amphetamine lying around, an easy synthesis with a
very high yield is to reduce the condensation product of phenylacetone and
methylamine. The benefit of this method is that different amines can be used to
produce novel N-alkyl amphetamines (ethamphetamine, tert-butylamphetamine, etc.)
From Ephedrine or Pseudoephedrine From: ez026264@dale.ucdavis.edu (Speed Raver)
Making it from ephedrine or pseudoephedrine is possible. The only difference
between methamphetamine and (pseudo)ephedrine is that damn alpha-hydroxy group.
Reacting your ephedrine with thionyl chloride replaces the OH with Cl to produce
N-methyl-alpha-chloroamphetamine as an intermediate. Hydrogenating this product is
easy: use lithium aluminum hydride, sodium borohydride, or even hydrogen gas with
nickel or platinum

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metal as a catalyst. The product of this step is N-methylamphetamine and HCl.

Evaporate off the water and you have methamphetamine hydrochloride. From:
yshan@bcarh697.bnr.ca (Yogi Shan) Hydrogenation starting with (-) ephedrine,
whether direct or via the halide, will give d-meth. If you start with dl-
ephedrine, you get dl-meth. Reduction With Hydroiodic Acid and Red Phosphorus
From: lamontg@u.washington.edu (Lamont Granquist) From Fester, Secrets of Meth
Manufacturing: Method 4: Reduction With Hydroiodic Acid and Red Phosphorus In this
procedure, the alcohol grouping of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or PPA is reduced
by boiling one of these compounds in a mixture of hydroiodic acid and red
phosphorus. Hydroiodic acid works as a reducing agent because its dissociates at
higher temperatures to iodine and hydrogen, which does the reducing. The
dissociation is reversible. The equilibrium is shifted in favor of dissociation by
adding red phosphorus to the mixture. The red phosphorus reacts with the iodine to
produce PI3, which then further reacts with water to form phosphorus acid and more
hydroiodic acid. Since the hydrogen atom of the HI is being absorbed by the
ephedrine, the red phosphorus acts as a recycler. In some reductions, the need for
HI is dispensed with just by mixing red phosphorus and iodine crystals in a water
solution. The red phosphorus then goes on to make HI by the above mentioned
process. With a small amount of due care, this is an excellent alternative to
either purchasing, stealing, or making your own pure hydroiodic acid. This method
has the advantage of being easy to do. It was formerly the most popular method of
making meth from ephedrine. Now red phosphorus is on the California list of less
restricted chemicals, so an increased level of subterfuge is called for to obtain
significant amounts. One might think that this is easily gotten around by making
your own red phosphorus, but this is a process I would not want to undertake. Ever
hear of phosphorus shells? I would much rather face the danger of exploding
champagne bottles. Those who insist on finding out for themselves, will see
Journal of the American Chemical Society, volume 68, page 2305. As I recall, the
Poor Man's James Bond also has a formula for making red phosphorus. Those with a
knack for scrounging from industrial sources will profit from knowing that red
phosphorus is used in large quantities in the fireworks and matchmaking
industries. The striking pad on books of matches is about 50% red phosphorus. The
determined experimenter could obtain a pile of red phosphorus by scraping off the
striking pads of matchbooks with a sharp knife. A typical composition of the
striking pad is about 40% red phosphorus, along with about 30% antimony sulfide,
and lesser amounts of glue, iron oxide, MnO2, and glass powder. I don't think
these contaminants will seriously interfere with the reaction. Naturally, it is a
tedious process to get large amounts of red phosphorus by scraping the striking
pads off matchbooks. Another problem with this method is that it can produce a
pretty crude product if some simple precautions are not followed. From checking
out typical samples of street meth, it seems basic precautions are routinely
ignored. I believe that the by-products in the garbage meth are

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iodoephedrine, and the previously mentioned azirine. If a careful fractional

distillation is done, these products can be removed. They can be avoided in the
first place if, when making hydroiodic acid from iodine and red phosphorus, the
acid is prepared first, and allowed to come to complete reaction for 20 minutes
before adding the ephedrine to it. This will be a hassle for some, because the
obvious procedure to follow is to use the water extract of the ephedrine pills to
make the HI in. The way around the roadblock here is to just boil off some more of
the water from the ephedrine pill extract, and make the acid mixture in fresh pure
water. Since the production of HI from iodine and red phosphorus gives off a good
deal of heat, it is wise to chill the mixture in ice, and slowly add the iodine
crystals to the red phosphorus-water mixture. To do the reaction, a 1000 ml round
bottom flask is filled with 150 grams of ephedrine hydrochloride (or PPA-HCl). The
use of the sulfate salt is unacceptable because HI reduces the sulfate ion, so
this interferes with the reaction. Also added to the flask are 40 grams of red
phosphorus and 340 ml of 47% hydroiodic acid. This same acid and red phosphorus
mixture can be prepared from adding 150 grams of iodine crystals to 150 grams of
red phosphorus in 300 ml of water. This should produce the strong hydroiodic acid
solution needed. Exactly how strong the acid needs to be, I can't say . I can tell
you that experiments have shown that one molar HI is ineffective at reducing
ephedrine to meth. The 47% acid mentioned above is a little over 3.5 molar. I
would think that so long as one is over 3 molar acid, the reaction will work. With
the ingredients mixed together in the flask, a condenser is attached to the flask,
and the mixture is boiled for one day. This length of time is needed for best
yields and highest octane numbers on the product. While it is cooking, the mixture
is quite red and messy looking from the red phosphorus floating around in it. When
one day of boiling under reflux is up, the flask is allowed to cool, then it is
diluted with an equal volume of water. Next, the red phosphorus is filtered out. A
series of doubled up coffee filters will work to get out all the red phosphorus,
but real filter paper is better. The filtered solution should look a golden color.
A red color may indicate that all the phosphorus is not yet out. If so, it is
filtered again. The filtered-out phosphorus can be saved for use in the next
batch. If filtering does not remove the red color, there may be iodine floating
around the solution. It can be removed by adding a few dashes of sodium bisulfate
or sodium thiosulfate. The next step in processing the batch is to neutralize the
acid. A strong lye solution is mixed up and added to the batch with shaking until
the batch is strongly basic. This brings the meth out as liquid free base floating
on top of the water. The strongly basic solution is shaken vigorously to ensure
that all the meth has been converted to the free base. With free base meth now
obtained, the next step, as usual, is to form the crystalline hydrochloride salt
of meth. To do this, a few hundred mls of toluene is added to the batch, and the
meth free base extracted out as usual. If the chemist's cooking has been careful,
the color of the toluene extract will be clear to pale yellow. If this is the
case, the product is sufficiently pure to make nice white crystals just by
bubbling dry HCl gas through the toluene extract as described in Chapter 5. If the
toluene extract is darker colored, a distillation is called for to get pure meth
free base. The procedure for that is also described in Chapter 5. The yield of
pure methamphetamine hydrochloride should be from 100 to 110 grams. Lithium-
Ammonia Reduction Reference: Ely, R. A. and McGrath, D.C., "Lithium-Ammonia
Reduction of Ephedrine to Methamphetamine: An Unusual Clandestine Synthesis,"
Journal of Forensic Sciences, JFSCA, Vol. 35, No. 3, May 1990, pp. 720-723

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Procedure: All the chemicals were reagent grade, with no special treatment of the
tetrahydrofuran (THF), and the atmosphere above the condensed ammonia was not
flushed with nitrogen gas. A three-neck flask was cooled in a dry ice/acetone
bath. A condenser was fitted in the center neck, an additional funnel containing
l-ephedrine base in THF was fitted into one side neck, and a rubber stopper fitted
with a glass tube extending to the bottom of the flask was fitted in the third
neck. Anhydrous ammonia gas was condensed and collected in the flask. Small pieces
of lithium metal were rinsed in petroleum ether, patted dry, and added to the
condensed ammonia. A deep royal blue color was noted as the lithium metal
dissolved in the condensed ammonia. The l-ephedrine was added drop wise to the
lithium ammonia solution over a period of approximately 10 minutes with stirring.
When all of the l-ephedrine had been added, ammonium chloride was added slowly to
the solution. The flask was removed from the cooling bath, and the condensed
ammonia was allowed to warm to room temperature and evaporate from the flask
through the side necks. When most of the ammonia had evaporated, water was added
to the remaining solution until it cleared and any remaining lithium metal was
decomposed. The remaining solution was removed from the flask to a separatory
funnel, where the aqueous layer was discarded. The THF layer was dried with
magnesium sulfate, and the hydrochloride salt of the methamphetamine was made by
bubbling hydrogen chloride through the THF. The same procedure was used,
substituting phenylproponolamine and methylephedrine as the starting materials. A
second synthesis was conducted with l-ephedrine, using the same procedure except
that the reaction was not quenched with ammonium chloride. Results: The reaction
was found to reduce l-ephedrine to d-methamphetamine quickly and easily .
Furthermore, it was found that the reaction converted phenylpropanolamine to
amphetamine and methylephedrine to dimethylamphetamine. The time required for the
reaction to proceed from the condensing of the ammonia gas in the reaction flask
until the excess lithium was decomposed was approximately one hour. The majority
of this time was spent waiting for the condensed ammonia to evaporate from the
reaction flask. It was also found that the ephedrine would reduce to
methamphetamine without the addition of ammonium chloride as a quenching agent.
From: eleusis@netcom.com (Eleusis) According to the infamous J.For.Sci. article
describing a "novel method of amphetamine production", the researchers concluded
that with or without an ammonium chloride quench yields were good. I like this
article especially because the rinky-dink DEA chemists that wrote it didn't seem
to entirely grasp the concept of the procedure they were doing (in fact, a
slightly modified Birch reduction known by some other name I can't recall). All in
all, quite an entertaining and educational article ;-). From: dmurphy3@aol.com
(DMurphy3) This may be so (in fact I read the same article), but typically a water
quench leads to the alcohol, which is what we were trying to get rid of to start
with. Also, if one were using Na rather than Li
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(Na is the Birch, I too forget the Li named reduction), adding water to quench
will *definitely* be exciting, particularly considering the flammability of THF or
ether. Apparently they were following the guys handwritten notes. It would have
been even more interesting had they used the real Birch method, using Na,
especially when they tried the water quench ;>) From: eleusis@netcom.com (Eleusis)
Yep - apparently that would be the case. As well, any extra Li (or Na if doing the
straight Birch method) would convert to the Hydroxide, which might fuck the
product up a bit. I bet you they *did* do that the first time, and then, after
they replaced that wing of the lab, they decided not to "publish" those
results ;-). From Phenylalanine From: ez026264@dale.ucdavis.edu (Speed Raver) A
surprisingly simple synthesis is possible from the amino acid phenylalanine, which
is available at health food stores for about $14 for 100 tablets. Phenylalanine is
2-amino-3-phenylpropanoic acid, which is more or less amphetamine with a COOH
where the CH3 should be at the end of the chain. Thionyl chloride will replace the
OH with a Cl, which falls off and is replaced by H when you give it lithium
aluminum hydride, sodium borohydride, or hydrogen gas and nickel/platinum. If you
use hydrogen and metal for that step, you'll ha v e to reduce the carbonyl group
with one of the hydrides, so best save time + effort and use them and do both
reductions at once. When that carbonyl is reduced, you now have amphetamine. Go
back up to that first one I mentioned for upgrading amphetamine into
methamphetamine.

Incomplete Syntheses
These are methods that are subjectively evaluated to be less useful, but still may
serve as interesting lessons in applied chemistry. Synthesis from Amphetamine
From: ez026264@dale.ucdavis.edu (Speed Raver) One of the easiest ways to make
methamphetamine is from amphetamine. Of course, this assumes you have amphetamine
in the first place, but let's just pretend you have some and you want to spice it
up a bit. The difference between amphetamine and methamphetamine is the addition
of a single methyl group (CH3) to the amino group sticking off the middle carbon
atom in the chain. Fortunately, substituting amines is really simple. Vaporize
your amine (your amphetamine) with a bunch of vaporized chloromethane (CH3Cl, a
solvent) and some gaseous pyridine... voila, the amino group takes the methyl from
the chloromethane and lets a hydrogen go. The hydrogen joins the liberated
chlorine, and the resulting HCl is soaked up by the pyridine. The pyridine is
optional. Adding it drives the reaction a bit by pulling the excess HCl out of the
equation, but it's not necessary. Methylamine

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From: dnaugler@sfu.ca (David Naugler) jkenner@cello.gina.calstate.edu (Jason

Kennerly) writes: Does the P2P method [reductive amination] ever end up attaching
TWO chains to the same methylamine, producing a crazy looking monster with two
"wings" This last question is solved be reference to a principle called the law of
mass action. An excess of methylamine will inhibit the secondary reactions.
Typically, a reductive amination done in a parr bomb or using sodium
cyanoborohydride is done with a five times molar excess of methylamine (or
methylamine hydrochloride.) Phenylacetone From: jkenner@cello.gina.calstate.edu
(Jason Kennerly) Let me know how bromobenzene + acetone + NaOH turns out. I'm
interested in this since I haven't seen it anywhere else (unlike some people, I
don't have the Abstracts in my closet :) Make sure to use an EXCESS of acetone,
because 1 its more readily available and 2 it will prevent any
diphenyl/triphenyl/xphenyl acetone from forming. Hell, if your making straight
amphetamine, you could even just go with acetone as the solvent too, if you could
come up with a good way to separate the 2-aminopropane you'd make with the
amphetamine. Given that this gunk has a bp of 33 or 34 degrees at standard
pressure, it shouldn't be too hard. Smells like ammonia though... maybe you should
"catch" it in HCl water when you distill. As with any distillation there will be
some left over. Never fear, 2aminopropane (or "isopropylamine") is water MISCIBLE.
Yes, the BASE form is miscible w/ H2O! Amphetamine BASE is only "slightly" soluble
in water, so if your really a purist you can dissolve your "mostly amphetamine
some 2aminopropane" in ether and backwash with water maybe ONCE. Then precipitate
the crystals with dry HCl or H2SO4? Question is, how much ammonia and reducing
agent are you willing to waste on making 2aminopropane? Purification by
Crystallization From: csc@pilot.njin.net (Sean Casey) For a purification by
crystallization of any of the HCL salts of ephedrine and related illegals, I'd
suggest a two solvent system with methanol and methylethylketone. This tends to
occlude a slight amount of solvent so keep your crystal size small and grind and
dry the result. Both these solvents are easily available if you know where to
look. I wouldn't suggest ethanol or acetone as they tend to easily collect H2O;
this can happen unexpectedly and when it does, their solvency power will greatly
increase, redissolving your crystals. Be careful as methanol is toxic; don't get
it on you or breathe the fumes. Read a lab handbook about two-solvent purification
by crystallization. Fascinating stuff.

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Related Chemistry

amphetamine

ephedrine

pseudoephedrine

phenylalanine

Street Knowledge
Very scientifically unsound, but interesting nonetheless.

Street Doses
An average wrap of speed contains less than 10% Amphetamines, (often as low as 2%)
and over 90% of adulterants.

Coloration
From: jkenner@cello.gina.calstate.edu (Jason Kennerly) Methamphetamine in its pure
hydrochloride salt form is colorless. However, products on the market today are
often not colorless. The following is a table of some common impurities and the
colors associated with them. Note: There is no doubt a segment of the dealers who
will add food coloring or some other such color to their drug to make it more
appealing, with the philosophy that a brightly-colored product may sell better
than an off color product. This is relatively uncommon however.

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RED: The product was made from pseudoephedrine, and the red coloring of the tablet
was not adequately washed away (it is difficult) ORANGE: Ephedrine sulfate was
used, and some of the sulfate was reduced to sulfur. PURPLE: Iodine from a
phosphorus-iodine reaction was not washed out. GREEN: Copper (or other metallic)
salts somehow made their way in to the mixture, probably due to the reaction
vessel used in the manufacture. BROWN: Oxidized red coloring (see above), or
tablating agent was present in the reduction. Sometimes "speed" is present as waxy
rocks that almost seem wet, but do not dry out properly. I am not sure what the
cause of this is, but its most likely some form of oil, either formed in the
reaction or left over from a very poor solvent. It may or may not be harmless
depending upon what it is. This oil is often removed with acetone, but ethyl-ether
would be better suited for this as it dries faster. Pure methamphetamine HCl melts
at around 170c (338f ). The crystals can be carefully chopped and mixed with
sodium carbonate, and when the resulting powder is heated (and the methamphetamine
HCl melts) CO2 and methamphetamine base vapor is given off. This is probably one
of the more effective ways of smoking meth if you are careful, however the
hydrochloride salt is often the form smoked as the base form is often an oil and
is difficult to store, transport, and work with. Smoking the HCl form is OK if you
don't mind a small quantity of pyrolysed drug. d-methamphetamine is, by nature,
optically active. l-methamphetamine is also optically active, but in the
"opposite" direction. You can test methamphetamine HCl for optical activity with
the greyish-clear plastic pieces from a pocket video game. Dissolve the
methamphetamine in distilled water, then place one of the optical filters (the
grayish clear things from the games LCD display) in front, and one in behind of
the solution. Rotate one filter, and note the angle that is brightest and the
angle that is darkest. If many "swirlies" appear, either use a different vessel to
hold the solution in, or make sure the solution is well stirred. After you have
done this, repeat the procedure with distilled water. A handy thing to use as a
"calibration" of sorts is to extract the l-desoxyephedrine from a Vicks Inhaler
(which is l-methamphetamine), and run this test on it as well. RESULT: Same as
water: DL-methamphetamine (or other inactive) Most likely made from P2P
(methamphetamine) or DLPA (phenylalanine). The DLPA-crank may in fact only be dl-
amphetamine. Might be 100% cut [read: nothing] also... Same as Vicks: You've been
ripped off ! -or- there's so much unchanged ephedrine as to cancel the
dextrorotary effects of the meth (l-ephedrine, when reduced, is dextrorotary (see
explanation elsewhere) Opposite of vicks compared to water: DL-methamphetamine.
Dextrorotary product is almost certainly methamphetamine (or extracted
dexedrines?) as its is not worth the trouble to get other dextrorotary precursors
or resolve dl-amphetamine... Worth Noting: Cathinone and Methcathinone, when
dissolved in methanol, will become racemic due to the nature of the molecule
(keytone). I'm not sure what other conditions cause this but I am aware that it
happens easily, so methcathinone from the black market is almost definitely
racemic...

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The EPHEDRINE/CAT TEST Its probably not too uncommon that some guy screws up a
synthesis, but by some chance gets a partial yield. Or a dealer uses Ephedrine as
cut. The problem with Ephedrine (far more so than pseudephedrine) is its beta-
agonist properties - it raises blood pressure and pulse far more per "unit of
high" than methamphetamine. It is advisable to become familiar with the many ways
of synthesizing methcathinone from (pseudo)ephedrine, as just such a procedure can
be used on freshly produced methamphetamine to verify that the (pseudo)ephedrine
was in fact reduced. The smell of basic methcathinone has been reported to
resemble that of "pistachio ice cream". Suffice to say that it is sweet, pleasant,
and to a cat-head, nirvana. You should become familiar with this as well, in order
to be able to know if suspected methamphetamine is in fact actually methcathinone.
The "BURN TEST" [residue test] Methamphetamine HCl is heated on a piece of foil
over a flame. It should first melt (at over 170c) then begin to fume. Often the
fumes will ignite. All amphetamines will pass this test that I am aware off,
including the over-the-counter l-isomer present in vicks inhalers (the *only* way
to check this is to check optical activity , either by resolution or by actually
measuring it with optical filters). Methcathinone HCl has a higher melting point
than methamphetamine HCl (like over 190c at least) and a characteristic smell,
giving it away in an instant. Residue left behind may be by-product or "cut",
there's no good way to tell which... Suffice to say that if there is more than a
very small amount left afterwards, there is either cut or by-products present. The
TASTE TEST [illegal without prescription snicker snicker] Methamphetamine has a
very bitter taste. Amphetamine has a bitter taste, followed by some degree of
numbness. This isn't the most useful test in the world, especially considering it
relies upon subjective senses too much IMHO, but it may help discern the product.
Methamphetamine is also more active on serotonin that amphetamine according to net
resources. From: dmurphy3@aol.com (DMurphy3) Sometimes 'speed' is present as waxy
rocks that almost seem wet, but do not dry out properly. I am not sure what the
cause of this is, but its most likely some form of oil, either formed in the
reaction or left over from a very poor solvent. It may or may not be harmless
depending upon what it is. It is more than likely the "didesoxyephedrine" referred
to by Emde, a product of the coupling of two radicals of the reduced ephedrine or
pseudoephedrine. It appears to some extent in almost all syntheses relying on
reduction and typically appears at the very end of the process of forming the HCl
salt by bubbling HCl through the mixture. And no, I haven't forgotten my promise
to post this paper. The scans just sucked when I tried to scan as text (5 pages
magically became 10-15 of scrambled text). I am currently trying gif type scans.
The *oil* may be removed, as you stated, by washing with ether. However, it will
never dry out as completely one might suspect. Even drying under heavy vacuum
leads to only a temporary solution. Once it is exposed to air it quickly becomes
an oil again. Often this is a brown color as you stated for other by-products. As
far as the rest of the post, I find it very useful and agree with it completely.

Myths and Rumors

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"Smelling meth on a person" Fatigue causes secretion of different chemicals,

including ammonia, from the body. Thus you are smelling fatigue, not meth. "Made
from poison" Made from several toxic chemicals; this does not mean it is itself
poisonous. For example, drinkable salt water can be made from lye and muriatic
acid. "Used to cut other drugs" Overstated in this role. Usually something much
cheaper (and less clean) is used. "Meth Oil" ?? "Speed Bumps"

Incorrect Syntheses
Phrack Magazine Volume One, Issue Four, Phile / 8 of 11 THE TRIED AND TRUE HOME
PRODUCTION METHOD FOR "METHAMPHETAMINE" Written and tested by: The Leftist. What
to do with it once you have made it. Take a ball about the size of a lead pellet,
and wrap it in tissue, and swallow, or you can put it in capsules and use it. You
can smoke it, mix it with vitamin B-12, and snort it like cocaine. You can also
sell it, for about $65-70.00 a gram, and don't forget to cut it. Remember, this is
pure stuff!! List of chemicals and materials Dilute Hydrochloric acid--> This may
be purchased at the hardware store. It sold as a brick and driveway cleaner. They
call it muriatic acid. Sodium Hydroxide--> This, you probably already have. It's
called "lye" at most places; it's drain cleaner. Ethyl Ether--> You'll probably
have to make this. Don't worry, it's a breez Just go to your local K-mart or Auto
parts store, and get a can of that "STARTING FLUID" it comes in a spray can. It's
used for cold weather starting of gasoline engines. "VICKS" nasal inhalers--> USE
ONLY VICKS!! No other kind will work that I know of. These are at any drug store
or grocery, etc.. You need 12 of em, but don't buy em' by the dozen, unless its
winter time, then you can just say yer from some nursing home, and you're stockin
up for the patients. Otherwise buy em' 2 at a time, if possible. Get a friend

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to help you. The druggists at the drug store usually will know what's goin on if
you buy quantity.

LIST OF EQUIPMENT Two large eyedroppers ten small glass bottles one large glass or
porcelain bowl coffee filters one small jar with a top one Pyrex baking dish one
glass test tube.

-==*(> N O T I C E <)*==PLEASE! DON'T SMOKE IN THE SAME ROOM WHEN YOU DO THIS.
OPEN A WINDOW IN THE ROOM IF POSSIBLE. FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY. THIS
RECIPE HAS BEEN TESTED AND THIS IS T BEST WAY TO DO IT. DON'T TAKE SHORTCUTS, AND
DON'T EVEN START TO DO THIS UNLESS YOU HAVE ABOUT 3 HOURS SPARE. PREPARING ETHER!
(DO THIS FIRST) Take one of the small bottles and spray starter fluid in it till
it looks half-full. Then fill the rest of the way with water, cap the bottle and
shake for 5 minutes. Then, draw off the top layer with the eyedropper, and throw
away the water layer. Repeat this until you have about 3 oz. of ether. Put the cap
on it, and put it in the refrigerator if you can. (If you can't, don worry about
it) You'll use this in the procedure below.

THE TRIED AND TRUE HOME PRODUCTION METHOD 1. Break open the inhalers, a pair of
real sharp scissors does this good. Place the cottons that were inside in a jar
and close the lid. (Remember you use all 12 cottons.) 2. In the bowl, combine 1-
1/3 oz. water and 2/3 oz. muriatic acid. Shred cottons in this solution, and knead
for 5 minutes with hands. (ALWAYS BE SURE THERE'S CLEAN RUBBER GLOVES on your
hands.) You can do it bare-handed if you' got tough skin. Squeeze all juice out of
filters after you knead, and throw em away. 3. Filter the remaining liquid into
the quart jar. It will be necessary to this several times to get that awful
smelling oil out. The chemicals in the inhalers have been bonded to the HCl, and
the oils have been filtered off. Throw the filters away. 4. Pour enough of the
solution into a small bottle to fill it 1/3 full. Save any leftover juice for the
second batch.

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5. Pour 1/4 teaspoon of the lye crystals into the bottle and agitate. Do this
carefully, as the mixture will become hot, and give off a gas. Repeat this step
until the mixture remains cloudy. 6. Fill the bottle from step (5) up the rest of
the way with ether. Cap the bottle, and agitate for about 8 minutes. It is very
important to expose ever molecule of the free-base to the ether for as long as
possible. 7. Let the mixture settle. There will be a middle layer that is very
thick. Tap the side of the bottle to get this layer as thin as possible. 8. Remove
the top layer with the eyedropper, being careful not to get any of the middle
layer in it. Save the top layer, and throw the rest away. 9. Fill a bottle half-
way with water, and about 10 drops of acid. Pour the top layer from step (8) into
the bottle, and cap it. Shake the bottle for 2 minutes. When it settles, remove
the top layer and throw it away. The free base has now been bonded to the
HCl/water mixture. 10. If there is anything left from step (3), repeat the
procedure with it. 11. Evaporate the solution in the Pyrex dish on low heat. You
can do this o the stove, but I have found that if you leave it on top of a hot-
water heater (like the one that supplies hot water to your house) for about 2-3
days, the remaining crystals will be Methamphetamine. Some notes: Police are now
calling this the "New Cocaine". It is very easy to become delirious off the ether
fumes, so be sure you are well ventilated, I mean it!!! Small, aspirin, or
experiment bottles seem to work the best for smaller batches. The measurements are
not exact, so you don't have to be either. In step 9, be sure you don't use too
much water. Remember, this is the water you have to use to evaporate. ==Phrack
Inc.== From: rkhunter@hale.cts.com (Admiral Hunter) (WARNING!) This recipe is
bogus! YOU WILL NOT HAVE METHAMPHETAMINE! You have simple extracted
pseudoephedrine! All this stuff will give you is engziety(sp?)... There are better
recipes out there but if you cant get your hands on sodium borohydride and a
reflux condenser then don't even mess with this recipe! But the ETHER extraction
method is as true today as it was then! From: ez026264@dale.ucdavis.edu (Speed
Raver) One, from Phrack magazine, is the "tried and true method" for prepping meth
from Vick's nasal inhalers. Vick's nasal inhalers contain "l-desoxyephedrine,"
another name for

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"l-methamphetamine." The l- isomer of methamphetamine is the relatively inactive

one, usable as a (mild) nasal decongestant. The d- isomer is the one that every
one wants and that Uncle Sam has declared is just too cool for any one except
doctors. The procedure described would extract the l-meth from the inhalers and
collect it and that's it. I'm sorry, but the Isomer Fairy can't wave her magick
wand and reverse the chirality of the molecule. The only way to change between the
two isomers is to oxidize the l-meth into phenylacetone, condense it with
methylamine, then reduce it. Sorry, but soaking inhalers in HCl then separating
the "juice" with Et2OH just won't do it. You'll get l-meth and that's that. The
same recipe (for extraction of l-isomer), reformulated: List of chemicals and
materials Dilute HCl - also called Muriatic acid - can be obtained from hardware
stores, in the pool section. NaOH - also called lye - can be obtained from
supermarkets in the "drain cleaner" section. "Red Devil Lye" recommended. Ethyl
Ether - aka Diethyl Ether - Et-0-Et - can be obtained from engine starting fluid,
usually from a large supermarket. Look for one that says "high ethyl ether
content", such as Prestone. Desoxyephedrine - can be obtained from "VICKS" nasal
inhalers. These are found at any drug store or grocery, etc. They contain 50mg of
l-desoxyephedrin e per container. Also known as methamphetamine. 6 containers will
give 300mg of l-desoxyephedrine. Distilled water - it's really cheap, so you have
no reason to use the nasty stuff from the tap. Do things right. List of equipment
a glass eyedropper three small glass bottles with lids (approx. 3 oz., but not
important) one should be marked at 1.5oz, use tape on the outside to mark it (you
might want to label it as ether) one should be clear (and it can't be the marked
one) a Pyrex dish (the meatloaf one is suggested) a glass quart jar sharp scissors
clean rubber gloves coffee filters a measuring cup measuring spoons Preparing your
reagents Preparing Ethyl Ether WARNINGS: Ethyl Ether is very flammable and is
heavier than air. Do not use ethyl ether near flame or non-sparkless motors. It is
also an anaesthetic and can cause respiratory collapse if you
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inhale too much. Take the unmarked small bottle and spray starter fluid in it
until it looks half-full. Then fill the rest of the way with water, cap the bottle
and shake for 5 minutes. Let it sit for a minute or two, and tap the side to try
and separate the clear upper layer. Then, draw off the top (ether) layer with the
eyedropper, and throw away the lower (water) and cloudy layer. Place the ether in
the marked container. Repeat this until you have about 1.5 oz. of ether. Put the
cap on it, and put it in the freezer if you can. Rinse the other bottle and let it
stand. Ethyl ether is very pungent. Even a small evaporated amount is quite
noticeable. Extracting l-desoxyephedrine 1. Break open the inhalers, a pair of
real sharp scissors does this well. Place the cottons that were inside in a bottle
(the unmarked one) and close the lid. I use 6 cottons. 2. In the Pyrex dish,
combine 2/3 oz. water and 1/3 oz. muriatic acid. Shred cottons in this solution,
and knead for 5 minutes with your gloves on. Squeeze all juice out of filters
after you knead, and discard them. This step bonds the HCl to the meth, forming
the HCl salt (what you want). The salt is soluble in water, and thus dissolves. 3.
Filter the remaining liquid into the quart jar. It will be necessary to this
several times to get the awful smelling oils (check the packaging if you are
interested in which ones). The chemicals in the inhalers have been bonded to the
HCl, and the oils have been filtered off. Discard the filters and clean the Pyrex
dish. Remember to wet the filters with distilled water before you pour, otherwise
you'll lose some product. 4. Pour enough of the solution into the clear bottle to
fill it 1/3 full. Save any leftover juice for the second batch. 5. Pour 1/8
teaspoon of the lye crystals into the bottle and agitate. Do this carefully, as
the mixture will become hot, and give off hydrogen gas and/or steam. H2 gas is
explosive and lighter than air; avoid any flames as usual. Repeat this step until
the mixture remains cloudy. This step neutralizes the HCl in the salt, leaving the
insoluble free base (l-desoxyephedrin e) again. Why do we do this? So that we can
get rid of any water-soluble impurities. For 3 oz. bottles, this should take only
3 repetitions or so. 6. Fill the bottle from step 5 up the rest of the way with
ethyl ether. Cap the bottle, and agitate for about 8 minutes. It is very important
to expose every molecule of the free-base to the ether for as long as possible.
This will cause the free base to dissolve into the ether (it -is- soluble in
ether). 7. Let the mixture settle. There will be a middle layer that is very
thick. Tap the side of the bottle to get this layer as thin as possible. This is
why this bottle should be clear. 8. Remove the top (ether) layer with the
eyedropper, being careful not to get any of the middle layer in it. Place the
removed ether layer into a third bottle. 9. Add to the third bottle enough water
to fill it half-way. and about 5 drops of muriatic acid. Cap it. Shake the bottle
for 2 minutes. When it settles, remove the top layer and throw it away. The free
base has now been bonded to the HCl again, forming a water soluble salt. This
time, we're getting rid of ether-soluble impurities. Make sure to get rid of all
the ether before going to step 11!
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10. If there is anything left from step 3, repeat the procedure with it. 11.
Evaporate the solution in the Pyrex dish on low heat. You can do this on the stove
or nuke it in the microwave (be careful of splashing), but I have found that if
you leave it on top of a hot-water heater (like the one that supplies hot water to
your house) for about 2-3 days, the remaining crystals will be Methamphetamine
HCl. If you microwave it, I suggest no more than 5-10s at one time. If it starts
"popping", that means you have too little liquid left to microwave. You can put it
under a bright (100W) lamp instead. Microwaving can result in uneven heating,
anyway. First Batch: 120mg Meth HCl Estimated: 300mg (100% of theoretical,
disregarding HCl) Estimated Cost of Material (in US dollars):
Ethyl Ether: Inhalers: Eyedroppers: Pyrex dish: Pyrex measuring cup: Lye: $ 1.59
$19.73 $ 1.09 $ 3.92 $ 2.55 $ 2.79

Catalytic Reduction From: ez026264@dale.ucdavis.edu (Speed Raver) A more credible

sounding one mentions that "methamphetamine is prepared by the calalytic reduction
of pseudoephedrine in acetic acid" blahblahblah and then goes on to describe, not
catalytic reduction via acetic acid, but reduction with sodium borohydride. I'm
sorry to say that no method attempting to directly reduce (pseudo)ephedrine's
hydroxyl group is going to work. You can't expose it to a strong acid, or a weak
acid, or sodium borohydride, or even lithium aluminum hydride and expect it to
reduce at all. As with the Vick's Inhalers "recipe," you get a lot of SOMETHING,
but it ain't d-meth. All you'll be left with is your (pseudo)ephedrine and a bunch
of acid, lithium, and/or sodium and lotsa hydrogen gas. This is because the
hydroxyl group (the OH in ephedrine) is on a very acidic carbon (the first carbon
away from the ring) and a hydroxyl group is very basic. If the hydroxyl were on
the second carbon from the ring (the carbon with the amine group, the NH2 or
NHCH3), there might be some chance, but it's not and there's not. You're not
getting a basic group off an acidic carbon without a fight, and acids,
borohydride, and LiAlhydride aren't gonna fight that hard. From:
yshan@bcarh697.bnr.ca (Yogi Shan) I'm sorry to say that no method attempting to
directly reduce (pseudo)ephedrine's hydroxyl group is going to work. Your post was
interesting, but this is not quite true. Direct hydrogenation over Pd or Pd on a
carrier is well known and facile. You add a little perchloric, phosphoric or
sulphuric acid, which

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esterifies the-OH group that you're complaining about. Thus making the
intermediate halide via SOCl2, like you mentioned, is unnecessary.

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