Amphetamines
Street Knowledge
Coloration
From: jkenner@cello.gina.calstate.edu (Jason Kennerly)
Methamphetamine in its pure hydrochloride salt form is colorless. However, products on the market today are often not colorless. The following is a table of some common impurities and the colors associated with them.
Note: There is no doubt a segment of the dealers who will add food coloring or some other such color to their drug to make it more appealing, with the philosophy that a brightly-colored product may sell better than an off color product. This is relatively uncommon however.
RED: The product was made from pseudoephedrine, and the red coloring of the tablet was not adequately washed away (it is difficult)
ORANGE: Ephedrine sulfate was used, and some of the sulfate was reduced to sulfur.
PURPLE: Iodine from a phosphorus-iodine reaction was not washed out. GREEN: Copper (or other metallic) salts somehow made their way in to the mixture, probably due to the reaction vessel used in the manufacture.
BROWN: Oxidized red coloring (see above), or tablating agent was present in the reduction.
Oils
Sometimes speed is present as waxy rocks that almost seem wet, but do not dry out properly. I am not sure what the cause of this is, but its most likely some form of oil, either formed in the reaction or left over from a very poor solvent. It may or may not be harmless depending upon what it is.
This oil is often removed with acetone, but ethyl-ether would be better suited for this as it dries faster.Pure methamphetamine HCl melts at around 170c (338f).
The crystals can be carefully chopped and mixed with sodium carbonate, and when the resulting powder is heated (and the methamphetamine HCl melts) CO2 and methamphetamine base vapor is given off.
This is probably one of the more effective ways of smoking meth if you are careful, however the hydrochloride salt is often the form smoked as the base form is often an oil and is difficult to store, transport, and work with. Smoking the HCl form is OK if you don't mind a small quantity of pyrolysed drug.
Testing
d-methamphetamine is, by nature, optically active. l-methamphetamine is also optically active, but in the opposite direction. You can test methamphetamine HCl for optical activity with the greyish-clear plastic pieces from a pocket video game.
Dissolve the methamphetamine in distilled water, then place one of the optical filters (the grayish clear things from the games LCD display) in front, and one in behind of the solution.
Rotate one filter, and note the angle that is brightest and the angle that is darkest. If many swirlies appear, either use a different vessel to hold the solution in, or make sure the solution is well stirred.
After you have done this, repeat the procedure with distilled water. A handy thing to use as a calibration of sorts is to extract the l-desoxyephedrine from a Vicks Inhaler (which is l-methamphetamine), and run this test on it as well.
Result
Same as water: DL-methamphetamine (or other inactive) Most likely made from P2P (methamphetamine) or DLPA (phenylalanine). The DLPA-crank may in fact only be dl-amphetamine. Might be 100% cut [read: nothing] also...
Same as Vicks: You've been ripped off ! -or- there's so much unchanged ephedrine as to cancel the dextrorotary effects of the meth (l-ephedrine, when reduced, is dextrorotary (see explanation elsewhere)
Opposite of vicks compared to water: Vicks. Dextrorotary product is almost certainly methamphetamine (or extracted dexedrines?) as its is not worth the trouble to get other dextrorotary precursors or resolve dl-amphetamine...
Worth Noting: Cathinone and Methcathinone, when dissolved in methanol, will become racemic due to the nature of the molecule (keytone). I'm not sure what other conditions cause this but I am aware that it happens easily, so methcathinone from the black market is almost definitely racemic...
The Ephedrine/Cat Test
Its probably not too uncommon that some guy screws up a synthesis, but by some chance gets a partial yield. Or a dealer uses Ephedrine as cut. The problem with Ephedrine (far more so than pseudephedrine) is its beta-agonist properties - it raises blood pressure and pulse far more per unit of high than methamphetamine.
It is advisable to become familiar with the many ways of synthesizing methcathinone from (pseudo)ephedrine, as just such a procedure can be used on freshly produced methamphetamine to verify that the (pseudo)ephedrine was in fact reduced.
The smell of basic methcathinone has been reported to resemble that of pistachio ice cream. Suffice to say that it is sweet, pleasant, and to a cat-head, nirvana. You should become familiar with this as well, in order to be able to know if suspected methamphetamine is in fact actually methcathinone.
The Burn Test [residue test]
Methamphetamine HCl is heated on a piece of foil over a flame. It should first melt (at over 170c) then begin to fume. Often the fumes will ignite. All amphetamines will pass this test that I am aware of, including the over-the-counter l-isomer present in Vicks inhalers.
The *only* way to check this is to check optical activity, either by resolution or by actually measuring it with optical filters.
Methcathinone HCl has a higher melting point than methamphetamine HCl (like over 190c at least) and a characteristic smell, giving it away in an instant. Residue left behind may be by-product or cut, there's no good way to tell which... Suffice to say that if there is more than a very small amount left afterwards, there is either cut or by-products present.
The Taste Test
Methamphetamine has a very bitter taste. Amphetamine has a bitter taste, followed by some degree of numbness.
This isn't the most useful test in the world, especially considering it relies upon subjective senses too much IMHO, but it may help discern the product.
Methamphetamine is also more active on serotonin that amphetamine according to net resources.
Average street speed contains less than 10% Amphetamines, (often as low as 2%) and over 90% of adulterants.
---deadlock@paranoia.com.
Books Amphetamine Syntheses:
Industrial Edition
Looks at various areas related to making amphetamines like the meth lab, the law, designer drugs, chemistry of the reactions, etc.
The majority of the book, however, details syntheses of amphetamine and related chemicals such as MDA, MDMA (ecstasy), DOB, TMA, PMA, MDEA (Eve), DOM (STP), methylcathinone, phenetermine, aminorex, ephedrine.
Amphetamine Syntheses The Speed Culture:
Amphetamine Use and Abuse in America
The only non biased, factual book about the history of speed I have found in print. Written in 1975, it doesn't cover recent history, but does give a good history up to the time of publication.
It was written by the author of Marihuana Reconsidered and describes how amphetamines have been used both medically and recreationally in the United States.
Speed Culture
More Amphetamine Books Amphetamine books from Amazon
Amphetamine Related More Amphetamine Articles Various Amphetamine Links