TEK - Purification of cocaine through an A/B extraction for the connoisseur

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The following posts are a dream a friend of mine had, not a real fact obviously. If moderators think it is redundant delete or move Also i am not a chemist, thus ill probably have gross mistakes in here, please someone cleverer inform me to correct them.

Aright, our own lejunk has made some very fine threads about purifying cocaine, either with acetone washes or the mighty A/B extraction. Also there is a marvelous pic tutorial by deckstruck 11, the man is a genious.

SWIM has searched and searched and found only empirical explanation regarding the chemistry of all those procedures so he decided to shut up and read up. SWIM is glad to inform that he can a) provide the theoretical background of the A/B extraction b) give some info that will result in a better final product c) in the coming week he will be able to post pictures of everything. The FAQ form is in SWIM's opinion the most readable of all forms so thats what he will follow here. (mind you it will be long and technical)

The cocaine connoisseur FAQ

Q: Why do i need to perform any kind of purification procedure in my cocaine?
A: You don't "need" but it is a pretty damn good idea. Cocaine nowdays is very contaminated with a hell lot of adulterants and manufacturing ipurities that not only can be harmfully to the nose and make you pay more for less but can dramatically alter the cocaine experience

Q: How is it different? I like it as it is already!
A: True cocaine is subtle, cerebrally euphoric, sexual, extroverted, talkative. It does not make you fiend, does not make you shake, does not make you feel like shit. Moderate use will not cause a crash (thats actually true). You will feel on top of everything, focused and able to tackle multiple activities at once (and actually do it!). It does not have that intense, forced upon, detached euphoria that street cocaine seems to have. Its a whole different drug actually, if you enjoy street cocaine by all means use it, just don't name it cocaine, its not the same thing, is something that has SOME cocaine alkaloid (no more than 30% usually).

Q: Ok so why is so addultered and what are the other psychoactive ingredients that cause the jittery, speedy fuckinnes a feel?
A: Thats not a simple question to ask. Frankly the most "efficient" cocaine cut is mannitol or inositol. Both are inactive, look like cocaine and have more or less the same properties (chemicaly) as cocaine. Actually mannitol is a renal vasolidator making cocaine absorption more efficient after the first couple of lines and helps with nose recovery! If everyone just cut cocaine with mannitol all would be good. Sadly thats not the case, the problems start at the manufacturing point. Due to profit margins, time restrains, ethics and pure stupidity several steps of the cocaine production are rushed. In order to understand this a small parenthesis must be made to outline the cocaine procedure:

Cocaine production the clandestine way:

The whole thing can be broken down to 1+3 steps ideally.
1) coca plant cultivation, harvest (obviously)
2) drying the leafs, and extracting cocaine paste
3) converting cocaine paste to cocaine base
4) converting cocaine base to cocaine hydrochloride

harvest to coca paste:
The cocaine plant is grown in several places mainly in peru, bolivia and colombia. It can produce 3-6 harvests a year and grows on high altitude, tropical climates. Not all coca plants have the cocaine alkaloid in their leaves, only two the erythroxylum coca and erythroxylum novogranatense have usable quantities of cocaine. And they dont even look alike all that much

Several plantations are harvested and the leaves are let to dry in the sun, then the cocaine alkaloid must be extracted from the leaves in order to form the cocaine paste. Given the sear volume of leaves needed to produce the paste the lab in which the extraction of the alkaloids is done is usually near the plantation. Its a fairly easy process so it is usually done by the farmer (and his family). Essentially the dried leaves are placed in large plastic container in which water and some alkaline material is added (sodium carbonate or ammonia typically). That forces the alkaloids to come out of the leaves and precipitate. A water imiscible solvent like kerosen is added to dissolve the precipitate. The water and leaves are then removed and the kerosene collected. Some acid is added to the kerosene (usually sulfuric acid) and an alkali is added to force the alkaloids to precipitate and be collected to form the coca paste.

The first problems start here actually, if the solution is over or under worked, over or under oxidized (and it usually is due to the rush) the cocaine alkaloid will either not be present or be destroyed producing poor quality of paste.

coca paste to coca base:

the crude paste is collected by some cartel individual from several different farmers. The coca paste to base proses requires more sophistication and is usually near rivers and/or an airstrip.

The coca paste is dissolved in an acid solution (sulfuric or hydrochloric usually). Potassium permaganate is added to oxidize (and thus remove) any other alkaloids present, specifically ciscinnamoylcocaine which is in very large concentrations in the paste. Any solid precipitate is discarded at this point, and ammonia is added, the resulting precipitate is filtered and dried, thats cocaine base.

The serious problems start here actually. In order to rush things up or to have a bigger weight (but not purity) of the final product, the cocaine base is not purified with the succesive acid/base extractions (ie not treated with sulfuric acid and ammonia or sodium bicorbanate at all). They go straight to the pottasium permaganate step. This results in a very crude, filled with impurities product. Most of the impurities are addinional alcaloids with mild psychoactive properties.

Even then an inexperienced "cook" will over or undeoxidise the solution either destroying the cocaine alcaloid or leaving too much of the other alcaloids in the cocaine.

cocaine base to cocaine hcl:

This is the final and most elaborate step. It is usually performed in labs in colombia called crystal labs.

The cocaine base (however impure it is...) is dissolved in a suitable solvent (ether or acetone) any solids are filtered out. Hydrochlorid acid is dissolved in a solvent with which it is miscible (aceton or methanol). Evertyhing is combined and cocaine hydrochloride crystals are formed, washed with acetone dried and served on a miror

Usually at this point the paste is already pretty "dirty". Because the proses is rushed and due to chemical controls and dangers the most fast procedure is utilized instead of the best. Instead of using ether (or even methanol) the cocaine base is dissolved in acetone, hydrochloric acid is just dumped in the sollution and an oily substance is formed at the bottom. Ethanol is then added and the crystallization begins. Usually some other -caine most likely lidocaine is added to increase the net weight. More over no acetone wash is performed and thus excess hydrochloric acid hygrine remain in the end powder.

Q: Aright, so i figure all those other alkaloids and even crap like lidocaine are present form the manufacturing point which fuck things up. Ok i get it, its fucked, does it end here?
A: Actually no, at this point a good butch of cocaine will be something like 70% pure a bad one less than 50% (and this is at Colombia, we havent even entered Mexico yet!). Usually the wholesailers/smuglers don't have the time to cut cocaine any more. Other cuts are made at the retail point, at the user/pusher or some small time (i.e in the region of 1-2 killograms a time) dealer. Several cuts are added, if we are lucky inactive like mannitol, if we are unlucky active like amphetamines or other -caines, if we are terribly unlucky crap like talk, flour and even glass are added. The final product will be at best 30% cocaine at worst no cocaine at all, just speed with procaine...

Reputation Comments on this post:

great write-up