Do YOU Know!?

Do YOU Know!? 

At two-tenths the speed of light, dust and atoms might not do significant damage even in a voyage of 40 years, but the faster you go, the worse it is--space begins to become abrasive. When you begin to approach the speed of light, hydrogen atoms become cosmic-ray particles, and they will fry the crew. ...So 60,000 kilometers per second may be the practical speed limit for space travel. 

Humanity needs practical men, who get the most out of their work, and, without forgetting the general good, safeguard their own interests. But humanity also needs dreamers, for whom the disinterested development of an enterprise is so captivating that it becomes impossible for them to devote their care to their own material profit.
Without doubt, these dreamers do not deserve wealth, because they do not desire it. Even so, a well-organized society should assure to such workers the efficient means of accomplishing their task, in a life freed from material care and freely consecrated to research.

HI/Red Phosphorus Step 1: Tablet Extraction

HI/Red Phosphorus
Step 1: Tablet Extraction

Pseudoephedrine tablets ground up using
any type of grinder

Tablets extracted with water or polar solvent
(MeOH, denatured alcohol)

Filter off pill binder material

Evaporate off solvent to leave
pseudoephedrine solid

• Fire hazard!!

 

Iodine

Iodine

Sources

• Hydriodic acid
• Iodine crystals/prills from commercial sources
• Feed supply (antibiotic, supplement)
• Make from iodine tincture

Hazards

• Severe respiratory irritant – PEL= 0.1 ppm – IDLH = 2 ppm
• Corrosive
• Oxidizer

Phosphine

Phosphine

PEL = 0.3 ppm, IDLH = 50 ppm

LEL = 1.8%, auto-ignition @ 38oC

Examples of levels measured in controlled cook situations

• Open container of red phosphorus = 1.4 ppm
• HI/RP cook: 0-13 ppm at sample port
• Making HI by mixing I2 and water, then adding RP: 0-42 ppm
• Hypophosphorous acid cook: 0-85 ppm

Levels measured at clan labs: 23 ppm at opening of 22 liter

Levels measured opening evidence containers

• 1-28 ppm opening kaypak
• 5-7.5 ppm opening evidence bucket

“Biotransformation for L-Ephedrine Production”, P.L. Rogers, H.S. Shin, and B. Wang, Univ. of
New South Wales, Sidney, Australia

Phosphorus

Red P can only be ordered out-of-country
except as a reagent

•  Get from match box strike plates – 40% red P, 30% anitmony sufate
• Use white phosphorus 
• Use hypophosphorous or phosphorous acid

 Hazards

•  Flammable solid (friction) 
• If heated, converts to white phosphorus– Air reactive flammable solid 
• Off-gasses phosphine, especially when heated

Efforts to prevent/limit access to Ephedrine and Pseudo

Efforts to prevent/limit access to
Ephedrine and Pseudo 

Place behind counter

• Ask for id 
• Limit purchases

 

 

 

 

 

 Modify the Pseudo to make it unavailable to convert

 

•  Use l-pseudo instead of d-pseudo

– 1/10th psychoactive power.

• Modify the molecule (ex: phenylephrine) and prevent

methamphetamine from being formed. Still works as
decongestant.

Meth History Cont.

• 1938: First published report of amphetamine addition and psychosis
• 1940: “Methedrine” commercial trade name for methamphetamine
• Both amphetamine and methamphetamine used as performance
  enhancer by Japanese, German and Americans in WWII. Led to
  addiction problems in Japanese after the war.
• 1950-53: amphetamine distributed to US troops in Korean war
• 1951: U.S. Congress passes a law requiring prescriptions for all oral
  and injectable amphetamines used commonly to treat obesity,
  narcolepsy and depression.
• 1954: Height of Japanese addiction: 2 million users in 88.5 million
  population
• 1959: first report of IV injection of contents of benzedrine inhaler.
  OTC Benzedrine Inhalers within drawn from market. OTC
  Methedrine inhalers offered.
• 1962: early reports of illicit domestic production by biker gangs
• 1965: OTC Methedrine inhalers withdrawn from market. 31 million
  prescriptions written: mostly to women.
• Amphetamine and methamphetamine become Schedule II drugs in
  1971
• 1970-80s cocaine drug of choice until it gets too pricey. People turn to
  speed as a substitute
• Motorcycle gangs synthesized drug using phenyl-2-propanone until
  late 1980’s. P2P became restricted substance, so chemistry shifted to
  making P2P from phenyl acetic acid or other ways
• 1987, DEA busts first HI/Red Phosphorus lab in the country in
  California. This method has a higher yield and more potent
  methamphetamine. Mexican nationals take over the market from biker
  gangs with this method.
• 1990s: Mexican “Super labs” produce pounds of meth from chemicals
  obtained overseas and smuggled across border. Illegal aliens make
  the meth in well-organized discreet segments in the Central Valley of
  CA.
• Current methods (Iodine/Red P or Lithium/Ammonia) using
  pseudoephedrine became popular as other chemicals became illegal     

 Current Method 

 Reducing

  ephedrine/pseudoephedrine to
methamphetamine

• Iodine-red phosphorus

• Ammonia-lithium (Nazi method)    

      Old Methods

•   Reductive Amination of Phenyl-2-propanone with Aluminum amalgam 

•  Reducing ephedrine/pseudoephedrine to methamphetamine via Catalytic hydrogenation

 

I. HI/Red Phosphorus Reduction

Ephedrine

 Natural source: ephedra sinica (source: dried stem)

Stereochemistry: 2 chiral center= 4 forms

• d,l ephedrine
• d,l pseudoephedrine (OH and NH on same side)

l-ephedrine, d-pseudoephedrine produce dmethamphetamine

 Ephedrine used as bronchodilator;
pseudoephedrine used as decongestant