Stimulants Pseudoephedrine

[negrogesic]

Ephedrine is the racemix DL-Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine is only the D isomer, D-Ephedrine. That's why you get D-Meth from a synth with pseudo and DL-Meth from ephedrine is it not ?

Pseudoephedrine had one chiral center whereas ephedrine has two and thus four isomers (one set of mirror 1R,2S-(-)-ephedrine, 1S,2R-(+)-ephedrine, and another set of 1S,2S-(+)-pseudoephedrine and 1R,2R-(-)-pseudoephedrine molecules) or simply d-ephedrine, l-ephedrine, d-pseudoephedrine, and l-pseudoephedrine.

Interestingly, it is l-ephedrine, when enantiomerically pure, that reduces to d-methamphetamine, whereas d-ephedrine and l-pseudoephedrine, reduce to l-meth.

 

[babooon87]

Pseudoephedrine had one chiral center whereas ephedrine has two and thus four isomers (one set of mirror 1R,2S-(-)-ephedrine, 1S,2R-(+)-ephedrine, and another set of 1S,2S-(+)-pseudoephedrine and 1R,2R-(-)-pseudoephedrine molecules) or simply d-ephedrine, l-ephedrine, d-pseudoephedrine, and l-pseudoephedrine.

Interestingly, it is l-ephedrine, when enantiomerically pure, that reduces to d-methamphetamine, whereas d-ephedrine and l-pseudoephedrine, reduce to l-meth.

Ok, thank you for clearing that up.

 

[Hodor]

Pseudo doesn’t relieve my cold and flu symptoms like real ephedrine did.

Well yeah, unlike ephedrine it doesn't produce mildly euphoric stimulation that would make cold symptoms more tolerable, but it is still a fine decongestant.

And here in Aus it destroyed good quality meth when they banned OTC products with ephedrine in it because people were buying it to cook meth with.

Again, pseudoephedrine is every bit as good a meth precursor as regular ephedrine, as they should both reduce to the desirable isomer, D-methamphetamine. It makes no sense to ban ephedrine and not pseudo if you're worried about people using it as a meth precursor.
In most locations, ephedrine was banned/heavily regulated because it had (albeit limited) abuse potential and caused high blood pressure, which was problematic especially since it was often sold as a weight-loss aid (seeing as how overweight people generally have higher blood pressures to begin with).

If the meth you're getting is shittier, it's probably because of new rules making it harder to obtain both ephedrine and pseudoephedrine in large quantities, forcing drug cooks to instead use phenylacetone and methylamine, which gives less desirable racemic methamphetamine, or the dealers are simply deciding to cut their meth to shit to make up for the decreased supply.

 

[Tryptamite]

Ephedrine is the racemix DL-Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine is only the D isomer, D-Ephedrine. That's why you get D-Meth from a synth with pseudo and DL-Meth from ephedrine is it not ?

Pseudo ephedrine is the dextro form in otc products and in nature. Levo ephedrine i's what's sold commercially in tablets and also in nature (ephedra). Both produce dextro methamphetamine (the desirable isomer most will argue) by all known methods as far as I know.

I'm fact to obtain racemic ephedrine or pseudoephedrine one would have to produce it by chemical means.
Racemic methamp is normally produced by methylamin/p2p synthesis which does not require (pseudo)ephedrine at all.

 

[sekio]

Fun fact, the "other" isomer of pseudoephedrine is actually active as a decongestant that lacks potential for diversion as it reduces into L-meth (Vicks inhaler, not speed). I think it was patented and never actually got licensed as a drug but I recall hearing of it back in the day.

A smart cook can do a phenylacetone synth and get D-meth out pure, if you don't mind taking a bit of a hit you can resolve the D and L forms with good ol' tartaric acid... one isomer crystallizes out and one doesn't. Easy as pie but maximum 50% yield.

Or for the master level cooks they could apply some literature procedure for reduction with a chiral auxilary of some sort.

I wonder if you can actually turn L-meth into D-meth via oxidisation back to the imine and re-reduction? Or do you have to go all the way back to the ketone?