Injecting - Cooking up with an acid - can it be neutralised pre-injection?

[piggyinthemiddle]

In the U.K most street Heroin can be smoked, snorted or after a little preparation, injected.

Most users prepare their H for injection by mixing it with water and an acid, such as Citric acid or Ascorbic acid. ( Vitamin C powder ). These are both available, along with clean needles from most needle exchanges.

I'm sure that's nothing new to most of you. Most users are probably aware that shooting the resultant 'acidic' mixture can be quite painful and must contribute quite heavily to vein damage.

What SWIM is trying to find out is if anyone knows a method for neutralising the solution before shooting it, i.e "Is it possible to bring the P.H back to 7 or thereabouts?"

Would it be possible for instance to add a little bi-carb and if so would the active ingredient stay in solution? I guess maybe this should be posted in the Chem forum, but SWIM's looking for a quick-fix rather than a complete purification.

[Solinari]

I doubt it can be done, this would most likely cause the heroin to fall back out solution (precipitate) in the same way people use bi-carb to make cocaine base. The only thing that should be done is minimise the pH level in the first place by using the smallest amount of acid possible.

My fiend always used to spoon the heroin, add the citric then add the water but after watching a video called Citric/Heroin Reaction he always adds water before the heroin in the same way the video shows. As others had mentioned, we were surprised at just how high the pH was even although the correct amount had been used, but trying to neutralise the solution makes me think it will just precipitate back out.

[piggyinthemiddle]

Yeah, it was SWIM's consideration that there is a chance it may just precipiate back out, but then I got round to thinking that if it was that easy to make it precipitate, everyone would be using that method to purify their gear.

I really need a definitive answer on this one.

Thanks for the vid-link though

[Solinari]

If bicarb is added to a heroin citrate solution then there is going to be a reaction, what the results of that reaction are i couldn't say and i am quite sure it's not just going to lower the pH.

It's going to be like adding bicrab to vinegar.

[jon-q]

It sounds to swim like swiy maybe adding to much citric,you only need add about 25%-30% citric to get all the heroin to dissolve.If there is still a lot of solid left after adding this amount then it's more than likely going to be bash,swiy should only feel a little bit of a cit sting if the mix is ok. personaly swim thinks it adds to the rush you can feel when it's about to hit home.
The correct ph wants to be around 3.5 if you try and bring this back up to 7 then most of the solids will simply fall out of solution..and swim wouldn't want to inject the mess thats left in that spoon.....