Extracted Opium Purification.

[BearClaw]

I read this awesome story about a chemist who liked to extract opium. He extracted the Opium through the well known "evaporation tea process". He had a good final product, but he desired to make his product purer. He did not remember how to do this, and asked SWIM for help.

thanks a lot -

BearClaw

[jayjohnson81]

Cool! Can you share the awesome story???

[trptamene]

I think he is asking for the story

swim found this using TFSE (imagine that)

Originally Posted by rxbandit

Here is a quick summary of extracting morphine from opium.

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to an improved process for the 10 extraction and purification of morphine from opium. The object of this invention is to provide a more economical method of preparing morphine that utilizes less environmentally toxic solvents.
Background

Morphine is useful as an analgesic drug. It is also used as the starting material for the preparation of codeine, which is another analgesic and antitussive drug. Morphine Occurs naturally in opium to the extent of 9 to 17% by weight, depending upon the opium source. There are many alternative methods of extracting and purifying morphine from opium. However, these methods suffer from several disadvantages, such as prolonged extraction times, low efficiencies and the involvement of hazardous chemicals such as chloroform and sulfur dioxide. What is needed is a cost-effective process which does not require large amounts of potentially toxic or hazardous solvents. When viewed from this perspective, none of the current methods are entirely satisfactory.
Generally, current methods extract the alkaloids present in opium with either water or an acidic (e.g. oxalic acid) solution. Due to the limited solubility of the alkaloids in aqueous solutions, the extract is very dilute. This results in a large amount of the aqueous extract. Recovery of the alkaloids from the aqueous extract also requires large amount of organic solvents. The process is also lengthy and labor intensive. One batch of opium generally needs to the extracted four times over a period of four days for complete recovery of the alkaloids. Separation and purification of morphine from the other alkaloids in the aqueous extract is also lime consuming and relatively complicated due to the physical properties of the extract and the nature of the substances present.
Summary of the Invention

The present invention relates to a process for extracting morphine from opium. The process of the invention answers the deficiencies of prior art processes. In the process, opium is extracted with a basic alcoholic solution. The basic alcoholic solution is filtered and the alcohol removed from the filtrate to leave a residue.The residue is then extracted with a basic aqueous solution having a pH of at least 11. The basic aqueous solution may be filtered to remove any solid matter remaining after the aqueous extraction step, and may then he stirred with a sufficient amount of a salt to avoid emulsion formation. The basic aqueous solution is then extracted with a substantially water-immiscible solvent such as benzene or toluene. Next, adjusting the pH of the basic aqueous solution to pH 8.5 to 9.5 allows the morphine to precipitate and be recovered.
Description of the Invention

According to the invention described herein, morphine is extracted from opium by stirring and/or heating, or preferably refluxing, opium in a basic solution of an alcohol, preferably methanol at about pH 9. The pH may be adjusted by the addition of an inorganic base (alkali hydroxide, or carbonate), ammonia, and the like. Preferred inorganic bases include, but are not limited to, sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide. After the extraction is complete, the alcohol extract is filtered to remove the undissolved particulate matter. The alcohol itself is then removed from the extracted alkaloids, preferably by evaporation under reduced pressure. The resulting residue, which contains the alkaloids, is mixed or extracted with an basic aqueous solution having a pH of at least 11, preferably an aqueous solution of an alkali hydroxide. This converts the morphine free base present into its anionic (morphinate) form which is soluble in basic solutions of pH values of 11 or above. Other opium alkaloids are relatively insoluble and, in general, at least partially precipitate out of the basic aqueous solution. After removing any precipitate, preferably by filtration, the remaining alkaloids are separated from the morphinecontaining basic aqueous solution by extraction with a substantially water-immiscible solvent, such as toluene or benzene. Finally, the morphine free base is precipitated out of the resulting aqueous solution by adjusting the pH of the aqueous filtrate to pH 8.5 to 9.5. Preferably, the pH to precipitate the morphine ranges from about 9 to 9.3, and most preferably is about 9.1. This is accomplished by adding either an organic acid or a mineral acid. The yield and purity of morphine produced by this procedure are economically satisfactory. The morphine obtained from this process may then be further purified by known methods or utilized directly in a further process to convert it into codeine.
As discussed above, the extraction of morphine from opium may be accomplished by stirring and/or heating, preferably refluxing, opium with a basic solution of an alcohol capable dissolving morphine in its neutral, cationic, and/or anionic form. Preferably, the alcohol is a C1-C4 alcohol. Particularly preferred alcohols include methanol, ethanol, and isopropanol. Mixtures of alcohols may also be used. Methanol, the preferred solvent for the invention, is a excellent solvent for extracting alkaloids from opium. Almost all of the alkaloids, especially morphine, are highly soluble in methanol. Advantageously, the alkaloids are soluble in methanol in their neutral, cationic, or anionic forms. The addition of an alkali, alkaline earth, or other suitable base to adjust the pH of the alcohol, to about 9, so makes the extraction process more efficient. This results in more alkaloids and less impurities being extracted into the alcohol. Refluxing opium in a basic solution of the alcohol, preferably methanol at about pH 9, for approximately one to two hours extracts more than 90% of the morphine present.
In a preferred embodiment, 5 g of opium, cut into small pieces, may be extracted by reflux with 0.2 to 0.6 g, preferably 0.4 g, of sodium hydroxide in 25 ml of methanol for 1 to 2 hours. An additional extraction of the opium with a basic alcohol, such as methanol at pH 9, can recover essentially all of the alkaloids from opium. The second extract can either be combined with the first extract or can be used to extract another batch Of opium. Separation of the alcohol extract from the undissolved residue by filtration or other similar means is generally easy and fast. Unlike an aqueous extraction process, the assistance of filter aid at this step is generally unnecessary.
The removal of alcohol by distillation, under reduced pressure, at elevated temperatures, or by other known techniques is much easier and more rapid than the concentration of aqueous extracts or organic solutions (e.g. toluene) usually required in prior art methods. A small amount of filter aid may be added to the alcohol extract before distillation to prevent the alcohol extract from foaming and bumping. As another advantage, the recovered alcohol, particularly methanol, can be recycled and used for another extraction without further purification.
In the prior art extraction methods, morphine is usually kept as an acid salt due to concerns regarding the stability of morphine in basic solutions. To test the stability of morphinate in basic aqueous solutions, morphinate was analyzed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and then allowed to stay ovemight at room temperature. The morphinate was then reanalyzed by HPLC. No loss of morphine was found.
According to the invention, the residue remaining after removing the alcohol is then extracted with a basic aqueous solution having a pH of at least 11. Preferably, the basic aqueous solution is a solution of an alkali hydroxide such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide. Solutions of other bases may also be used. Maintaining the pH of the aqueous extract al this pH and preferably within a relatively narrow preferred range allows high quality morphine to be obtained with good recovery. At lower pH values, greater amounts of morphine may be lost in the initial precipitate. At higher pH values, less impurities may be extracted into toluene. Maintaining the pH in the range of 11.5 to 11.9 is, therefore, preferred.
The basic aqueous solution may optionally be filtered to remove any solid material remaining after the aqueous extraction step. Filtering the basic aqueous solution at this point removes insoluble non-morphine alkaloids. Any precipitate may be washed with an additional quantity of the basic aqueous solution to ensure increased recovery of the morphine.
The basic aqueous solution or filtrate, if filtered, is then extracted with a substantially water-immiscible organic solvent to remove the remaining alkaloids from the basic aqueous filtrate. Suitable solvents include, but are not limited to, benzene, toluene, xylene, diethyl ether, and chloroform. Separation of the resulting aqueous and organic phases, may be accomplished by techniques known in the art.
Theoretically, non-morphine alkaloids are supposed to precipitate out of concentrated aqueous solutions at pH values around 11-12. However, the presence of concentrated morphinate ions may increase the solubility of the other alkaloids. Thus, substantial amounts of non-morphine alkaloids may remain in solution. Direct extraction of the basic aqueous solution or filtrate, if filtered, with a substantially water-immiscible solvent can remove those alkaloids, but may result in formation of an emulsion. To avoid emulsion formation, the aqueous solution/filtrate may, before extraction with the substantially water-immiscible solvent, first be treated with a sufficient amount of an alkali metal salt or alkaline earth metal salt, for example 0.5 to 5 grams salt for each 5 grams of opium. Preferred salts are, for example, lithium chloride, lithium bromide, lithium acetate, sodium chloride, sodium bromide, sodium acetate, potassium chloride, potassium bromide, or potassium acetate. A preferred amount of the salt is 0.5 to 2 grams per 5 grams of opium. Sodium chloride and sodium acetate are preferred salts with sodium acetate being particularly preferred. The extract may then preferably filtered again to get rid of any gummy or other precipitate prior to extracting with a substantially water-immiscible solvent, such as benzene or toluene.
The sequence of the morphine purification procedure may, however, affect the recovery of morphine. For example, if, to avoid emulsion formation upon extraction, a salt is added to the basic aqueous solution before it is filtered after the aqueous extraction step, as much as about 20% of the morphine may precipitate out along with the other alkaloids. Accordingly, the recovery of morphine will he substantially lower.
When extracting the aqueous solution/filtrate with a substantially water-immiscible solvent, such as toluene or benzene, a small amount, generally about 8%, of the morphine may be extracted into the solvent. This may be recovered by back extraction with additional basic solution, for instance, a sodium hydroxide solution. Any loss of morphine in the aqueous mother liquor, about 2%, may be recovered by additional extraction with the solvent. For health reasons, the use of toluene is preferred, particularly over benzene, in the process of the invention. Any alkaloids precipitated on a filter aid or paper in the process may be recovered by extraction with an alcohol, preferably methanol. The filter aid can be used again without further purification. The other opiate alkaloids that were extracted into the substantially water-immiscible solvent may be combined with the alkaloids which precipitated from the aqueous extract at pH 11.5 to 11.9 and further purified by other known methods.
After extraction with the substantially water-immiscible solvent, the pH of the basic aqueous solution/filtrate is adjusted to about 8.5 to 9.5 to precipitate the morphine. Preferably, the pH is adjusted to 9 to 9.3 and more preferably to 9.1. The pH may be adjusted using an acid such as, for example, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid or acetic acid. Preferably, a 50% acetic acid in water solution is used.
The precipitated morphine may then be recovered using techniques known in the art such as filtration or decantation. The recovered morphine is preferably washed with water before drying.
The foregoing procedure provides a cost-effective process for isolating morphine from opium. This procedure provides good recovery and a high quality product FIG. 1 depicts a preferred process of the invention. The whole process, from extraction of opium to precipitation of purified morphine, can generally be completed in one day. This is much more efficient than other existing commercial purification methods
The following specific example illustrates the invention, but is not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
Example

5 g of opium were cut into small pieces and extracted by reflux with 0.4 g of sodium hydroxide in 25 ml of methanol for 1 to 2 hrs. The methanol extract was then filtered to remove particulate materials. After addition of 1 g of filter aid to the methanol extract, which contained 465 to 485 mg of morphine, the methanol was removed under reduced pressure. The residue was then mixed with 5.5 ml of 1.0 N sodium hydroxide solution at 35°C. for 10 min. and the pH adjusted to about 11.5 to 11.9 with 50% acetic acid in water. This aqueous extract was then filtered and the precipitate washed with 5.5 ml of 0.01 N sodium hydroxide solution. The combined aqueous filtrate was stirred with 0.5 g of sodium acetate for 10 minutes and filtered again. The filtrate was then extracted twice with 5 ml of toluene and the pH of the aqueous filtrate was then adjusted to pH 9.1, with 50% acetic acid in water. The mixture was allowed to remain for a period of 6-10 hrs at room temperature for complete precipitation and was then filtered. This precipitate was washed with water and dried at room temperature. This final precipitate contained 400-426 mg of morphine, which represented a recovery of 86-88% based upon the amount of morphine in the initial methanol extract. The purity of morphine following this procedure was 84% to 86% by weight.

http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/sho...t=purification

More info

Originally Posted by Guest

I would like to make up a topic about the extraction of Morphine from Poppy straw here, because im not happy with the procedure i use. Here it is, give comments if there are things to improve:


1. Poppy straw is grinded to a powder


2. the powder is put into a glass which can be closed without leaking and covered with Rum (40%)


3. the glass is closed ans put in a waterbath at 75 C for 4 hours.


4. The stuff is filtered through a coffe filter, the plant material goes through step 3 a second time, the liquid is put in another glass.


5. the liquid (dark brown) is adjust to PH 12 with potassium (KOH)


6. it is put in a cool, dark place for 6 hours. unwanted alkaloids and plant material will precipitate out.


7.it is filtered. the stuff in the filter discarded, the liquid is kept.


8. the liquid (dark brown) is gently heated to 30 C.


9. Ammonium Chloride is added until the PH reaches 9.1 (9 - 9.5)


10. the solution is put in a cool dark place for 24 hours. Morphine and Codeine precipitate out.


11. the liquid is filtered. the M and C stay in the filter. The liquid is discarded.


12. the stuff in the filter is dried. thats it





I would like to know


1.if anyone can tell me about the effect of the concentration of the liquid on the precipitation of m in the second precipitation step. i think i realized that it doesnt precipitate out if there is too much liquid compared to the dissolved m - is that correct?


2. does anyone know, if the precipitation of m (step 2) will work if i do it in an alcoholic solution? the precipitaion of the other alkaloids works excellent when 100 percent alcohol are used for extraction.


Thats only two questions, if you have any other hints, please let me know.

From:

This thread (Morphine Extraction from Poppy Straw) is 81 posts long, there is bound to be some more good information.

[BearClaw]

True, but SWIM was hoping for an easier solution to his problem. Every time SWIM tries an ACID/BASE extraction, he fucks it up. SWIM tries so hard, but just lacks the talent too pull it off.

- ThAnks

[trptamene]

http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40013

Originally Posted by trptamene

Cooking Opium

Raw opium is placed in boiling water and cooked in large cooking vats or 55-gallon drums. After a short time, the opium alkaloids dissolve. The solution is then strained through cheesecloth to remove impurities such as twigs and plant scrapings. Then the liquid is reheated until the water has evaporated and a thick paste remains.
Before opium is smoked, it is usually cooked. Uncooked opium contains moisture, vegetable matter, and other impurities which detract from a smooth-smoking product. The raw opium which is collected from the pod is placed in an open pot of boiling water where the sticky glob of opium alkaloids quickly dissolves. The soil, twigs, and plant scrapings remain undissolved. The solution is strained through cheesecloth to remove these impurities. The clear brown liquid, sometimes called “liquid opium,” is actually opium in solution. This liquid then is reheated over a low flame until the water turns to steam. When the water has evaporated, a thick paste remains. This paste is called “prepared opium,” “cooked opium,” or “smoking opium” and it is dried in the sun until it has a putty-like consistency. The net weight of the cooked opium is generally about 20 percent less than than the original raw opium.

Cooked opium is suitable for smoking or eating by opium users. Traditionally, there is only one group of opium poppy farmers, the Hmong, who often do not cook their opium before smoking. Most other ethnic groups, including Chinese opium addicts, prefer smoking cooked opium.

Opium, either raw or cooked, will not degrade, or otherwise spoil, for an indefinite period of time, as long as it remains relatively dry and cool. These are the normal conditions in the highlands of Mainland Southeast Asia. There are cases of opium being stored on a shelf for 10 years without deterioration.

If the opium is to be sold to traders for use in morphine or heroin laboratories, it is not necessary to cook it first. The laboratory operators generally use 55-gallon oil drums or huge cooking vats to cook the raw opium in water before beginning the morphine extraction process.

EXTRACTION OF MORPHINE FROM OPIUM

Raw or cooked opium contains more than 35 different alkaloids, including morphine, codeine, and thebaine. In Mainland Southeast Asia, the morphine alkaloid alone accounts for approximately 10 percent of the total weight of opium. Heroin manufacturers must first extract the morphine from the opium, before converting the morphine to heroin. The extraction is a simple process, requiring only a few chemicals and a supply of water. Morphine sometimes is extracted from opium in small clandestine laboratories, which are typically set up near the opium poppy fields. Since the morphine base is about one-tenth the weight and volume of raw opium, it is desirable to reduce the opium to morphine before transporting the product from the field to a heroin laboratory.

The process of extracting morphine from opium involves dissolving opium in boiling water, adding lime (calcium oxide), or slaked lime (calcium hydroxide), or limestone (calcium carbonate) to precipitate non-morphine alkaloids, and then pouring off the morphine in solution. Ammonium chloride is then added to the solution to precipitate morphine from the solution. The chemicals used to process opium to morphine have a number of legitimate purposes and are widely available on the open market. An empty oil drum, some cooking pots, and filter cloths or filter paper are needed.

The following is a step-by-step description of morphine extraction in a typical Mainland Southeast Asian laboratory

An empty 55-gallon oil drum is placed on bricks about a foot above the ground and a fire is built under the drum. Thirty gallons of water are added to the drum and brought to a boil. Ten to 15 kilograms of raw opium are added to the boiling water.

With stirring, the raw opium eventually dissolves in the boiling water, while soil, leaves, twigs, and other non-soluble materials float in the solution. Most of these materials are scooped out of the clear, dark brown “liquid opium” solution.

Slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) or, more often, a readily available chemical fertilizer with a high content of lime, is added to the solution. Lime will convert water- insoluble morphine alkaloid into water-soluble calcium morphenate. (Other opium alkaloids do not react with lime to form water-soluble calcium salts, as does morphine.) Codeine is an opium alkaloid that is slightly water-soluble and some codeine will be carried over with the calcium morphenate in the liquid. Otherwise, for the most part, the other alkaloids will become a part of the “sludge.”

As the solution cools, the morphine solution is scooped from the drum and poured through a filter. Cloth rice sacks are often used as filters and can then be squeezed in a press to remove most of the solution from the wet sacks. Liquid saponated cresol (“lysol”) is commonly added to the solution to facilitate filtering. The morphine-rich solution is then poured into large cooking pots and reheated but, this time, not boiled.

Ammonium chloride (a powder) is added to the heated calcium morphenate solution to adjust the alkalinity to a pH of 8 to 9, and the solution is then allowed to cool. Within 1 or 2 hours, morphine base precipitates (“crashes”) out of the solution and settles to the bottom of the cooking pot.

The solution is then poured off through cloth filters. Any solid morphine base chunks in the solution will remain on the cloth. The morphine base is removed from both the cooking pot and from the filter cloths, wrapped and squeezed in cloth, and then dried in the sun. When dry, the crude morphine base is a coffee-colored coarse powder. This form of morphine is commonly known by the Chinese term pi-tzu in Mainland Southeast Asia.

If morphine base is to be stored or transported to another location, it may be pressed into blocks. Crude morphine base is generally 50 percent to 70 percent morphine, and is an intermediate product in the heroin process. (This morphine base is generally not used by addicts.)

This crude morphine base may be further purified (and changed to morphine hydrochloride) by dissolution in hot water and hydrochloric acid, then adding activated charcoal, reheating, and filtering. The solution is filtered several times before being allowed to cool. As the solution cools, morphine hydrochloride precipitates out of the solution and settles to the bottom. The precipitate is trapped (or “captured”) by filtration.

If the morphine hydrochloride is to be stored or transported to another location, it may be pressed into bricks. Morphine hydrochloride (often tainted with codeine hydrochloride) is usually pressed into brick-sized blocks in a press and wrapped in paper or cloth. The most common block size is 2 inches by 4 inches by 5 inches, and weighs about 3 pounds (1.3 kilograms). It takes a full day to extract morphine from opium.


Approximately 13 kilograms of opium (from approximately one hectare of opium poppies) are needed to produce each morphine block of this size. The morphine blocks are then bundled and packed for transport to heroin laboratories by human couriers or by pack animals. Pack mules are able to carry 100-kilogram payloads over 200 miles of rugged mountain trails in less than three weeks.


MORPHINE EXTRACTION PROCESS

Ten kilograms of opium are added to 30 gallons of hot water and dissolved.
Solid impurities are scooped off.
Non-morphine alkaloids of opium precipitate to the bottom of the barrel.
Morphine solution is scooped into other containers.
Approximately 13 kilograms of opium (from approximately one hectare of opium poppies) are needed to produce each morphine block of this size. The morphine blocks are then bundled and packed for transport to heroin laboratories by human couriers or by pack animals. Pack mules are able to carry 100-kilogram payloads over 200 miles of rugged mountain trails in less than three weeks.

CONVERSION OF MORPHINE TO HEROIN BASE

The conversion of morphine to heroin base is a relatively simple and inexpensive procedure. The necessary chemicals for conversion to heroin are commonly available as industrial chemicals. The equipment is very basic and quite portable. Heroin conversion laboratories are generally located in isolated, rural areas due to the telltale odors of the laboratory’s chemicals. Acetic anhydride, in particular, is a key chemical with a very pungent odor resembling vinegar. Thai-speakers in the Golden Triangle Area commonly refer to acetic anhydride as nam-som (vinegar).

As described in the preceding paragraphs, the chemicals used to isolate morphine from opium (known as extraction) include calcium hydroxide (slaked lime) and ammonium chloride. The precursor chemical normally used in the conversion of morphine to heroin (known as acetylation) is acetic anhydride. Chemical reagents used in the conversion process include sodium carbonate and activated charcoal. Chemical solvents needed are chloroform, ethyl alcohol (ethanol), and ethyl ether. Other chemicals may be substituted for these preferred chemicals, but most or all of these preferred chemicals are readily available from smugglers and suppliers.

Laboratory equipment includes large Chinese cooking woks, measuring cups, funnels, filter paper, litmus paper, and enamel (or stainless steel) pots. Only the most sophisticated heroin laboratories use glass flasks, propane gas ovens, vacuum pumps, autoclaves, electric blenders, venting hoods, centrifuges, reflux condensers, electric drying ovens, and elaborate exhaust systems. It is common to find portable, gasoline-powered generators at clandestine heroin conversion laboratories. Generators are used to power various electrical devices.

Heroin synthesis from morphine (either morphine base or morphine hydrochloride) is a two-step process that requires between 4 and 6 hours to complete. Heroin base is the intermediate product. Typically, morphine hydrochloride bricks are pulverized and the dried powder is then placed in an enamel pot. Acetic anhydride is added, which then reacts with the morphine to form heroin acetate. (This acetylation process will work either with morphine hydrochloride or morphine base.) The pot lid is tied or clamped on, using a damp towel for a gasket. The pot is carefully heated for about 2 hours, below boiling, at a constant temperature of 85° Celsius (185° Fahrenheit). It is never allowed to boil or to become so hot as to vent fumes into the room. The mixture is agitated by tilting and rotation until all of the morphine has dissolved. When cooking is completed, the pot is cooled and opened. During this step, morphine and the anhydride become chemically bonded, creating an impure form of diacetylmorphine (heroin).

Water is added to the thick, soupy mixture and the mixture is stirred as the heroin dissolves in the solution. Sodium carbonate (a crystalline powder) is dissolved in hot water and then added slowly to the heroin solution until effervescence stops. This precipitates heroin base, which is then filtered and dried by heating in a steam bath. For each kilogram of morphine, 685 grams to 937 grams of crude heroin base is formed, depending on the quanity of morphine.

The tan-colored heroin base (about 70 percent pure heroin) may be dried, packed, and transported to a heroin-refining laboratory, or it may be purified further before conversion to heroin hydrochloride (a water-soluble salt form of heroin) at the same site.

Mainland Southeast Asian heroin base is an intermediate product that can be further converted to either “smoking heroin” (heroin no. 3) or “injectable heroin” (heroin no. 4).

CONVERSION OF HEROIN BASE TO HEROIN NO. 3

HEROIN NO. 3 (SMOKING HEROIN)

To make heroin no. 3, the crude base is mixed with hydrochloric acid, resulting in heroin hydrochloride (HCl). Adulterants, including caffeine, are added after this conversion. For each kilogram of crude heroin base, about one kilogram of caffeine is used. Various “flavorings” such as quinine hydrochloride or strychnine hydrochloride are sometimes added to heroin no. 3. Next, the wet paste mix is stirred to dryness over a steam bath.

The resulting dry heroin no. 3 will be in the form of coarse lumps. The lumps are crushed and passed through a mesh sieve, and the grains (pieces) are then packaged for sale.

The entire process takes about 8 hours and requires only minimal skill. While extra attention to stirring is required to assure dryness, one person can prepare 1-kilogram of heroin no. 3 during this time.



CONVERSION OF HEROIN BASE TO HEROIN NO. 4

HEROIN NO. 4 (INJECTABLE HEROIN)

The reaction of morphine with acetic anhydride produces heroin acetate. To the heroin acetate mixture in the pot, water is added and mixed by stirring. A small amount of chloroform is added. The mixture is stirred and then allowed to stand for 20 minutes. Doing so dissolves highly colored impurities and a red, greasy liquid is formed at the bottom of the container. The water layer is carefully poured off and saved in a clean pot, leaving the red grease in the pot.



In a clean pot, activated charcoal is stirred into the aqueous solution and is filtered to remove solid impurities. The decolorizing effects of the charcoal, combined with the chloroform treatment, will leave a light yellow solution. The use of charcoal is repeated one or more times, until the solution is colorless.

Sodium carbonate (a crystalline powder) is dissolved in hot water and then added slowly to the heroin solution until effervescence stops. This precipitates the heroin base, which is then filtered and dried by heating on a steam bath. The heroin base is heated until dried. The powder should be very white at this stage. If not white, the base is redissolved in diluted acid, treated repeatedly with activated charcoal, re-precipitated, and dried. The ultimate purity and color of the resulting heroin HCl will depend largely on the quality of the heroin base.

The heroin base is then dissolved in ethyl ether. Conversion to the hydrochloride salt is achieved by adding hydrochloric acid in ethanol to the heroin mixture. The heroin then precipitates.

Heroin (quantities trafficked)
Metric System U.S. Equivalent
gram (gm.) 0.001 kgs .002 ozs
unit 0.700 kgs 1.54 lbs
kilogram (kg.) 1,000.0 gms 2.2046 lbs
ounce (oz.) 28.35 gms 0.0625 lbs
pound (lb.) 453.59 gms 16.0 ozs

The mixture becomes nearly solid after an hour. At this point, it is filtered and the solids are collected on clean filter paper. Batches of between 5 and 10 kilograms (occasionally as much as 20 kilograms) are commonly made at one time. The paper is wrapped around the crystals and placed on wooden trays, usually over lime rock, to dry.

When the white crystals of pure heroin HCl are dry, the powder is compressed into bricks in a hydraulic heroin press. These machine-compressed bricks, often bear a “999” logo impression on one side. Mainland Southeast Asian heroin bricks are not adulterated with any type of substance. This high-purity, odorless heroin, ranges from 85 to 95 percent purity. The standard-sized bricks, called “units” (700-gram) or “half-units” (350 grams), are then placed in plastic bags and heat-sealed, ready for sale to heroin brokers and wholesalers. Each full unit measures 5½-inches long, 4-inches wide, and 2-inches deep. A standard briefcase, measuring 14 inches by 20 inches, and 5 inches deep, can easily hold 18 units (12.6 kilograms) of Mainland Southeast Asian heroin, stacked in two layers. A standard 1.8 cubic foot microwave oven can hold approximately 42 units (29.4 kilograms) of Mainland Southeast Asian heroin.

Although highly soluble in water, heroin HCl is very stable, and can be stored in a relatively cool, dry, and dark area for an indefinite period of time.

gg

[JaWill88]

swim has read the above many times before on some website. very very interesting. not as hard as one would expect with no chemistry knowledge. especially morphine to diacetylmorphine.

[samuraigecko]

yes, SWIM says the hard part comes from the initial precipitation itself. precipitation of morphine from the cooked opium/water solution is achieved by the use of lime and AA at certain pH levels. The tricky bit is to know how much lime to add for the facilitation of precipitation. Example: If one were to add not enough lime then not all of the morphine molecules would bond thus producing a loss. If too much was added then one would calcify the mixture rather easily and end up having to use more chloroform than necessary (dangerous). The trick to knowing "how much" is to know the approximates. Hypothetically, if One was to have opium from a strain which is known to have approximately 10% morphine content then one would know what numbers to start working with. With any procedures there are losses incurred, it is inevitable. Minimize these losses by knowing the strains and their approximates.

[jerbles]

If it was really that easy every schmuck out there would be making heroin in their basements. Opium from poppy pods seems rather easy, as does morphine from opium. But by the time one refines morphine from poppy pods, wouldn't the yeild be about the same price as bought on the street?

[samuraigecko]

doubtful since it would almost be free. The reason every "schmuck" out there isnt doing it is because of a few reasons
1: it is not well known info.
2: they are lazy heroin addicts.
3: they are too impatient to do it right and get a good result.
4: they dont know or care where the drug actually comes from.
5: they are too busy feeding a habit rather than feeding their mind with research.
6: they are broke and cannot afford poppy pods/seeds/seeds to grow from.
7: they live in apartment buildings where it is impossible to grow.
8: or, they just dont care unfortunately.
9: or, they do wish they could do it but lack the resources or skills to perform such techniques.

One is NOT trying to belittle addicted peoples or offend anyone, One is merely stating the fact of how the majority of those peoples seem to be once addicted heavily.
It is sad but true, SWIM used to be in the same situation and had a care factor of LESS than zero.

[jayjohnson81]

While checking ones blood pressure and pulse while reading previous post -one agrees. Going through withdrawel is shite. Think three times of two things more important than exploring the chemical realms...

[BearClaw]

Hey, is SWIM the only one who's tummy gets itchy when he consumes Opium tea?
And why?

[TDIDriver]

Originally Posted by BearClaw

Hey, is SWIM the only one who's tummy gets itchy when he consumes Opium tea?
And why?

"O" causes histamine release, which causes itching of the skin and nose and a mild flushing of the skin. opium / opiodes have little direct effect on the heart or blood pressure. How ever the blood pressure may fall slightly following the pain relief produced by morphine and also with the sedation which may be produced. Significant hypotension (low blood pressure) following morphine is usually due to other causes such as hypovolaemia(low blood volume) .

[bubbbble]

Heya, I realize this posting is horribly after the fact...but this is stuff I've been researching for quite some time, and having found a pretty informative page, and registered to pick some folk's brains, I hope to do just that! Hopefully someone knowledgeable will come along and provide me with some gewd old answers

So- If trying to turn that Western European base dope into injectable/tootable eastern US dope, the kind I like and am used to, I think I understand how to follow the directions stated above.

What I'm wondering however, is whether to adjust pH, which seems to be necessary, do I absolutely have to use things like KOH (POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE) and AMMONIUM CHLORIDE? I mean...... it seems to me that there's a lot of things that could be used to make the solution either more alkaline or more acid....some of which I might actually be able to come across, maybe even EASILY. I mean....ordering random loads of chemicals online isn't exactly of interest to me.

Unless I'm missing something here? Do any of ya'll know where a common place to come across either of the previously mentioned ingredients, and also stuff like ETHER and HYDROCHLORIC ACID? Are any of these disguised under common names? Ya know, like sodium bicarbonate is marketed under the name baking soda, and so on? What about friggen CHLOROFORM? The fuck would I happen across shit like that in my rural ass region of the state? SODIUM CARBONATE?



AND.... ALTHOUGH I HAVE THE CAPACITY TO PERFORM SUCH SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS, AND COULD DO IT IF ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY...IS THIS THE ONLY WAY? CHUCK A BUNCHA CHEMICALS INTO THE POT, MAYBE APPLY SOME HEAT, AND WAIT A BIT? .....NO SLIGHTLY LESS COMPLEX WAYS TO CONVERT BASE INTO HCL?

ANY MORE ADVICE FROM ANYONE WHO COULD CLARIFY SUMMORE?


THANKS YALL!

[PuKeTaG]

Originally Posted by bubbbble

IS THIS THE ONLY WAY? CHUCK A BUNCHA CHEMICALS INTO THE POT, MAYBE APPLY SOME HEAT, AND WAIT A BIT? .....NO SLIGHTLY LESS COMPLEX WAYS TO CONVERT BASE INTO HCL?
THANKS YALL!

I think you answered your own question, if it just consists of "chucking" chemicals into a pot there should be no difficulty. But out of all the chemicals you will need, obtaining the AA is the major hurdle to overcome. If one could obtain this then there would be no trouble at all obtaining the other chems.

[bubbbble]

obtaining the AA is the major hurdle to overcome

I'm sorry, but what is AA?

[samuraigecko]

Acetic Andrahyde. A chemical commonly used to acetylate both organic and non-organic compounds.

Try searching the forums, it is commonly talked about. With the easy stuff it is much easier and better to search the forums and research it.

Peace