To begin, one must understand statistics of the Poppy plant itself in order to know what to expect, and a rough estimate of quantity. Now, after full maturity of the Pods has been observed(a change in color from a greyish-green to a dark-green, with pod crown curving upwards), incisions, typically 4 to 5, are made on each pod, each plant containing 3 to 4 pods. Note that these incisions should be roughly one millimeter deep, as over-deepening the incision can result in over-spilling inside the pod and possible onto the grown, while under cutting will not produce the desired amount of ooze for each incision. Each pod will produce a rough estimate of 80 milligrams of raw opium, starting out as a white ooze - as the incisions are normally cut during the day - and allowed to dry and oxidize over night. This will turn the ooze a darkish brown color, and harvested the next day by scraping the contents from the pods and collecting them, and letting them dry in the sun.
Now, if one estimates roughly 40,000 plants per acre, * a minimum of 3 pods per plant = 120,000 pods, * roughly 75 milligrams of opium = 9,000,000 milligrams = 9000 grams = 9 kilo grams of raw opium extract (breaking it all the way down just cause everyone loves it SOOO much ) From what Swim's found, Turkish opium can contain up to 20+% morphine content, as opposed to P. Somniferum (14-18%), so it is preferred, but not mandatory. back on topic.
The raw opium needs to be purified by using a large cooking pot in boiling water to dissolve all the alkaloids, and the solid material waste can be strained from the mixture using a thick mesh type of filter (almost like burlap), this should remove all solid waste. The remaining solution should continue to be lowly heated to evap all of the remaining water, and what is left is a thick putty of ~20% more pure opium, and 20% lighter as well.
On such a large scale synthesis, the opium has to be dissolved in boiling water in a large steel drum. The mass of the opium thats dissolved must be divided by 5, and said quotient of Calcium Hydroxide must be added to the solution. Morphine is insoluble in cool water so the addition of calcium hydroxide converts the morphine into calcium morphenate, and while the solution cools, all other unreacted alkaloids will form a sludge along the bottom while the calcium morphenate remains. Codeine, being somewhat soluble in water, will also remain in the solution, but in a relatively minute amount, so theres nothing to worry about. After this has cooled for a while, the morphenate solution must be decanted, removed, scooped, whatever works. This solution needs to be filtered through the same type of thick mesh makeshift filter paper (burlap perferred), squeezed through, and then reheated but NOT boiled. The opium processed mass should be divided by four, and that quotient of Ammonium Chloride should be added. Until the pH is ~8 or 9, the solution is then cooled, and left to sit for a few hours. After this time, the morphine and codeine should have fully preciptated and settled to the bottom. Filter the solution through a light cloth and squeeze to facilitate drying, which can be then left out in the sun for fully drying. An oven works too, set on low temp for a few hours. Keep the heat low to be safe. One should be left with a coffee colored granular substance, this is the base.
The crude morphine base was further purified by dissolution in diluted hydrochloric (or sufuric) acid, forming a solution of morphine hydrochloride (or sulfate). Activated charcoal was added, and the solution was heated and filtered hot through a fine cloth. The filtration was repeated removing the charcoal and colored impurities with it several times. The filtrate was dried in the sun leaving morphine hydrochloride, a fine white powder if purification is complete. Alternatively, ammonium hydroxide may be added to the morphine HCl solution (or re-dissolved morphine HCl), to re-precipitate morphine base. This must be filtered and dried to form a granular solid.
The Morphine hydrochloride or base was mixed with acetic anhydride at about three-times the mass of the morphine in a stainless steel or enamel pot. The pot lid was tied or clamped on with a damp towel for a gasket basically creating a wanna-be reflux device. The mixture was heated at 85 deg C (185 deg F) and kept below boiling. ~5 hours, all the morphine has dissolved. The pot is opened, and the mixture is now a solution of water, acetic acid, and diacetylmorphine. This was allowed to cool. Water was added to the mixture at three-times the volume of acetic anhydride and was stirred.
(Optionally, a small amount of chloroform can be added. This mixture must be allowed to stand for 20 minutes. The chloroform will dissolve colored impurities and settle to the bottom of the pot as a red, greasy liquid, and the water layer is carefully poured off.)
Activated charcoal was added to the mixture to absorb solid impurities, which are filtered out repeatedly until the solution is clear. ~2.2 kilograms of sodium carbonate for each kilogram of morphine were dissolved in hot water and added solwly to the mixture until effervescence stopped. The now precipitated heroin base was filtered with a cloth, set aside and dried. The base should be a fine white powder at this point. If still colored beige or light brown, the base may be re-dissolved in dilute hydrochloric or citric acid, treated with charcoal again, re-precipitated and dried. About 700 grams of heroin base will be produced from each kilogram of morphine.
Optionally, skilled heroin chemists may purify even further the base by dissolving it in twice its mass of boiling ethyl alcohol, filtering the solution through a heated funnel into a heated flask. This removes leftover sodium carbonate remaining in the base. The flask should be submerged in an ice bath, where it is transformed into a thick white cream. The substance must be placed in a pan in a refrigerator with a fan set to blow across the pan to slowly evaporate the alcohol . The paste will crystallize after several hours and must then vacuum filtered. The product, referred to as alcohol morphine base, is re-crystallized heroin base.
For each kilogram of base (or re-crystallized base), 6.6 liters of ethyl alcohol, 6.6 liters of ether, and 225 milliliters of concentrated hydrochloric acid were measured out. The base was dissolved by heating with ONE THIRD of the alcohol and ONE HALF of the acid. Another ONE THIRD of the acid is stirred in. Next, the remaining acid is added slowly, dropwise, until the product is completely converted to the hydrochloride salt. This result may be confirmed either by observing that a drop of solution evaporates on a glass plate leaving no cloudy residue or by placing a drop of solution on Congo red paper, observing it turn the paper blue. Once the conversion is complete, the remaining alcohol is stirred in. Then HALF of the ether is added, and the mixture is allowed to stand for 15 minutes. As soon as crystals begin to form in the solution, the remaining ether is added at once, stirred, and the the vessel is covered. The mixture becomes solid after ~1 hour. It is then filtered, and the solids are collected on clean filter paper, wrapped in the paper, and dried on a wood tray over lime rock in the sun. Resulting product was completely white and nearly completely pure No. 4 Heroin HCl.
04-02-2009, 01:55
) From what Swim's found, Turkish opium can contain up to 20+% morphine content, as opposed to P. Somniferum (14-18%), so it is preferred, but not mandatory. back on topic.
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