Commercial PMMA-ecstasy testing kits coming to Canada

[Odd_nonposter]

Commercial PMMA-ecstasy testing kits coming to Canada
Published: February 10, 2012 1:05 a.m.

Final preparations are being made to distribute ecstasy-testing kits in Canada specifically designed to detect a toxic compound linked to numerous deaths recently, but police aren’t supporting the move.

Working in partnership with a private contractor, Seattle-based harm-reduction group DanceSafe and Toronto’s Trip! Project expect to have commercially available PMMA-ecstasy testing kits ready in weeks.

...

Police representatives consulted by Metro Thursday indicated that there was nothing to suggest the kits are illegal but they stressed that ingesting any ecstasy compound is dangerous.

“They offer a false sense of security,” Calgary police spokesperson Kevin Brookwell said of the kits. “Are you willing to risk your life on the results of an unproven test?

Read more at source: http://www.metronews.ca/edmonton/lo...al-pmma-ecstasy-testing-kits-coming-to-canada

 

[Newbierock]

an unproven test eh?

Because a cops opinion > science.

 

[FractalStructure]

The picture shows Marquis, Mecke, Simons, and one I can't read. Those are not "unproven", but they're also not new. Thats what you get at eztest...

But I guess this PMMA one is new? I wonder if it detects other things

 

[Pjkt2501]

The problem is that the current tests available can't distinguish PMMA from MDMA (they provide the same reaction to the main ones DanceSafe sells - I have their current kit and will add the PMMA vial to my collection).

 

[skillet]

Really? Mandelin, marquis and mecke all apparently go purple with MDMA, MDEA and MDA. That must be due to the MD ring, as meth, amp and PMA either go a different colour or don't react, so I guess PMMA would also be distinguishable.

I thought the problem was the PMMA was mixed with MDMA, which would hide it by all of those methods. But I don't know, maybe they are just selling pure PMMA.

 

[23536]

From what I can construe, they're packaging a new reagent test. If the product has never been used by the public before, it's fair to call it unproven.

If you're holding what you suspect is pure MDMA, I suppose you can obtain a melting point. Pure MDMA has a melting point between 148 and 153 F.

 

[skillet]

But doesn't someone have to test it on pure, known samples to check it works before sending it out? It's strange no-one in academia is looking into it, would be an easy paper and I'm sure quite a few researchers have access to both.

 

[Folley]

The problem is that the current tests available can't distinguish PMMA from MDMA (they provide the same reaction to the main ones DanceSafe sells - I have their current kit and will add the PMMA vial to my collection).

That is not true.


Simply a rumor. PMMA should have no reaction at all, for any of the tests. I believe it has a *SLIGHT* reaction to red on mandellin though, that is not confirmed however.


The only way that PMMA can turn purple, is if it was laced with MDMA. Its also possible that they tried to make MDMA, fucked up horribly and got PMMA instead, and there are by products left in it with some random methylenedioxy left in there

Not likely.

 

[Esotericism]

The fuck up horribly would have to be starting with anethole instead of safrole, otherwise there is never going to be more than trace amounts of pmma in any mdma sample (due to anethole being a minor constituent of sassafrass oil)

 

[Folley]

^ Exactly, but no chemist with any intelligence at all could make that mistake.

 

[DSNathan]

Really? Mandelin, marquis and mecke all apparently go purple with MDMA, MDEA and MDA. That must be due to the MD ring, as meth, amp and PMA either go a different colour or don't react, so I guess PMMA would also be distinguishable.

I thought the problem was the PMMA was mixed with MDMA, which would hide it by all of those methods. But I don't know, maybe they are just selling pure PMMA.

The one sample we've received at ecstasydata.org tested positive for PMMA and methamphetamine. They say that they're reagents went to purple/black and green/blue, but after looking at some other test results it doesn't look like their reagent results are trustworthy. There is an amphetamine-only pill that didn't test orange with Marquis, for example. I brought this up with Erowid and we're looking into it with the lab tech.

Nathan
DanceSafe