Heavy metal depositis in 1,4 Butanediol??

I have recently heard this from a reliable source of chemical type knwoledge.. I was just wondering is anyone had a second opinion, know anything about it etc
I was told that heavy metals do not leave your body (i know nothing of chemistry etc) blah blah and that 1,4 is potentialy very dangerous. Does anyone have any information supporting this idea? or proving otherwise?
Just curious, I don't take 1,4 anymore after a few yucky experiences.. but I'd still be interested in knowing.
cheers,
mona.

All i know is they can be filtered out.
Whether or not the stuff most of us have is filtered....

My word not good enough aye?
Remember the 500-odd programs everyone has watched about lead building up in kiddies bodies that live in heavy industrial areas. Lead is a heavy metal.
Mad Hatter's disease? Hat makers used to use mecury when making or repairing hats. Mecury is a heavy metal, and minute amounts build up... and cause Mad Hatter's disease.
As for bottles of 1,4 Butanediol containing heavy metals... I can't confirm this atm. I'm not sure if it's true for all types. I shall endevour to find out.

I'd be concerned if i thought i was filling my body with lead (or any other heavy metal) that was contained in the 1,4. But i s'pose it would also depend on the source of the 1,4 wouldn't it??
[This message has been edited by BigTrancer (edited 13 January 2001).]
[This message has been edited by mashedpotatohead (edited 16 January 2001).]

It really depends on the particular brand of floor/head/keyboard/lens cleaner I think.

The information about impurities, etc should be on the side of the bottle from which it came, if you're getting it from someone who gets it from a lab... otherwise, fuck knows...
grug

There were a few posts about it.From someone who worked in a chem store or similar.
A freind told me and he works in a drug rehab and is fairly reliable ,but unless i do see documentation it's hearsay.
I belive the post i saw recomended charcol filtering before use.

I've only looked at one bottle closely.
It says the bottle contains xxx gms of 1,4 Butanediol/litre and distilled water. That's all.
That's the (xxxxxxxx) one, so hopefully that one is ok.
I find this believable due to the fact that these products are intended for use as cleaning agents, and have warnings stating things like "This product can not be used as a dietary supplement" ie shouldn't be used to make your body synthesise ghb.
[This message has been edited by BigTrancer (edited 13 January 2001).]

popey, thought you would have known better!!
i'll email the *ahem* dudes and find out. They have been hugely helpful in the past about my concerns and queeries, so they should know.
i'll let you know

They have to write stuff like "this product is to be used only as a cleaning blah blah.." to cover themselves legally.. it's reeeeeally a cleaning product, it's just how they disguise it.
I remember someone tried to actually clean something with the stuff and they said it dodn't do too good a job. *shrug* who knows??

why would there be heavy metal deposits in there in the first place? im fairly sure they would have distilled the stuff at some stage to purify it from the other products during the production?
if you were really worried you could allways set up a simple distilling aparatus...just be safe about it, not use an open flame as 1,4BD is prolly flamable to some degree...
just my 5c worth

that's a company name? oops

Well, i contacted our source and asked them if there are any heavy metals in the GBL that they supply (GBL is 1,4BD isn't it?? or similar, i dunno).
This was the reply... "The GBL I sell is electronic grade. It contains less heavy
metals than pharmaceutical grade."
Hmmm, bit of a worry. He didn't expand on his explanation so i don't really know to what extent the GBL is contaminated. But does anyone know the difference between "electronic grade" and "pharmaceutical grade"??

GBL is NOT the same as 1,4.
GBL is like drinking the finest scotch.
1,4 like drinking metho to get drunk.
I know GBL used to be/is used, as a solvent in electronics etc. Perhaps thats what the guy meant.
I guess if u want to clean circuit boards u cannot have any metal deposits in the solvent as the idea is its meant to be completely non-conducting.
I would be suprised that they r allowed to sell GBL as GBL?? Although i do not doubt that there exists a solvent for cleaning circuit boards which is GBL, but which one is anyones guess.
I am sure people on here may well know, but no one is stupid enough to say, r they!

I'm not sure what the diff is between electronic and blah, BUT I do know that 1,4 Butanediol and GBL are NOT the same compound. Otherwise... they'd have the same name wouldn't they?!!?!?
yes.. simliar in the effect they create, and similar in the reactions that occur in the body after consuming, but yeah.. they're not the same.
My question is... since when has 1,4 or GBL (can you please clarify which compound the guy was replying for?)been graded pharmaceutically???
PS. hmm.. biscuit said it for some reason, that reply wasn't up when i posted mine..
[This message has been edited by mona (edited 17 January 2001).]

GBL is gamma butyrolactone...1 of the 2 chemicals used to form GHB...lactone being the active ingredient. i do know that people in europe can actually buy pure lactone and use that.
1,4 butanediol is a close relative in terms of effects of ghb and gbl, but in fact are quite different substances.
[This message has been edited by samadhi (edited 17 January 2001).]

1,4 Butanediol: HO-CH2-CH2-CH2-CH2-OH
---> LIVER OXIDATION/METABOLISM
---> HO-CH2-CH2-CH2-COOH = GHB
O
/ \
C C=O GBL
| |
C-C
---> STOMACH ACID HYDROLYSIS
---> HO-CH2-CH2-CH2-COOH = GHB
or
---> BASIC HYDROLYSIS with sodium hydroxide etc done in the lab
---> [HO-CH2-CH2-CH2-COO-]Na+ = GHB powder
This is powder GHB, or more correctly, sodium gammahydroxybutyrate.
Sorry about the chemistry, but i am trying to show that ONLY GHB is the active ingredient.
By ingesting GBL/1,4 u r giving your body precursors, just like u give a chemist, to make the desired active substance.
THE BIG thing here: GBL -> GHB is easy, in the stomach, simple, does not use enzymes, its natural etc etc.
The 1,4 -> GHB is NOT. Ur poor liver must slowly make the GHB from this using enzymes etc. The long term (and even shorterm) effects of doing this are not desired. (as Rikodozan among others, has said many times)
[This message has been edited by Biscuit (edited 17 January 2001).]
[This message has been edited by Biscuit (edited 17 January 2001).]
[This message has been edited by Biscuit (edited 17 January 2001).]

I just got this from Erowid:
"gamma-Butyrlactone : Product Names
Renutrient, Renewtrient, Revivarant, GH Revitalizer or GHR, Blue Nitro, Blue Nitro Vitality, Remforce, Gamma G. The active compound in all of these products is gamma-Butyrlactone, or "Lactone". gamma-Butyrlactone is one of the two chemicals used to create GHB. In the last few years, since GHB has become scheduled in many states, Butyrlactone has been sold by many companies as a replacement for GHB. Butyrlactone is converted into GHB in the body. It's effects are extremely similar to GHB though the required dosages are lower than that of GHB. This can cause problems with possibly overdosing."
..and this about 1,4 Butanediol..
"Chemical Names
Butanediol, butane-1,4-diol, 1,4-butylene glycol, tetramethylene 1,4-diol 1,4-dihydroxybutane, 1,4-tetramethylene glycol, butylene glycol, BDO
Product Names
Pro-G, Thunder
1,4-Butanediol, often called "1,4 B" is a chemical closely related to GHB. In the last few years, since GHB has become scheduled federally and in many states, 1,4 B has been sold by many companies as a replacement for GHB. It has similar effects to GHB and is converted in the body into GHB. 1 mL of 1,4 B is approximately equivalent to 1 gram of GHB.
1,4 B is not federally scheduled or controlled though we believe that it is now scheduled in some states. It is not approved by the FDA for human consumption which generally means that possession is federally legal while sale for human consumption may be illegal."
the url for GBL on lycaeum is.. http://leda.lycaeum.org/Chemicals/GBL.172.shtml
the url for 1,4B on lycaeum is... http://leda.lycaeum.org/Chemicals/1,4-butanediol.173.shtml

Because this stuff is used for cleaning etc, the environment in which it is synthesised and the precurrsors used aren't as clean, and aren't controled as strictly as those used for pharmapsueticals. Also not all traces of the stuff used to purify it are removed, so you may have other gunk in your 1,4 B, stuff like benzene and other shit you don't particularly want in your system...
my 0.02 c + gst
grug

Mona and Biscuit, thanks for the info. It seems that what i've been refering to is GBL (not 1,4BD as you both pointed out, thanx ... know I know ). I knew that both compounds converted to GHB in your body ... it was a poor assumption on my part to think that they were the same chemical.
Just to clarify, I was asking our source about GBL when I got the response – “The GBL I sell is electronic grade. It contains less heavy metals than pharmaceutical grade”
Maybe this guy’s full of shit, but his web site seems to be fairly comprehensive and from what I’ve read he’s one of the more reputable(??) suppliers of GHB precursors out there.
I tend to agree with Buscuit though, that this guy has used the term “electronic grade” to mean that the GBL he sells is intended for cleaning circuit boards and other electrical stuff. (the GHB we used to get was from New Zealand and sold as Tape Head Cleaner ... but I think they must scheduled GHB over there recently cos we can’t get that particular brand anymore)
But back to the GBL, our source has admitted that there are heavy metals contained in the stuff he sells, so I’ll see if I can get some technical info out of him ... like the LEVELS of heavy metals contained in his product.