Purifying Heroin
[Editor's Note: The following text is taken from Heroin User's Handbook but the procedure has been floating around for years and I have no idea who "invented" it. I do not recommend using the part of this process that involves ether--unless you really know what you are doing
The impurities found in street heroin range from coffee to quinine to glass particles. Most impurities, like coffee, are harmless. You might even like some of them. Coffee, for example, is tasted after injecting heroin that has been cut with it. Some impurities, like glass and maybe even quinine, can be deadly. I strongly encourage you to remove the impurities from the heroin you buy. What follows is a recipe that works despite the fact that it has been widely distributed on the Internet.
<Removing Particulate Matter
The use of cotton for filtration when heroin is cooked before being used is a small attempt at purifying the heroin ingested. But a much better job can be done with a little hydrochloric acid (HCl). Place about a gram of heroin in a small glass container (a test tube is best, but any glassware that will allow mixing will work). Add a couple of drops of 28% hydrochloric acid and allow it to react for a couple of minutes. Next, add 5 ml of distilled water and mix vigorously so that everything dissolves that can.
At this point in the process, the heroin is in solution. The non-soluble material in the container is garbage that you do not wish to ingest. Let the solution sit so that the particulate matter settles to the bottom and then pipette out the solution, leaving the particulate matter behind. The simplest kind of pipette is an eye-dropper. If a pipette is not available, it is possible to pour the solution out of one container into another, being careful not to allow any of the particulate matter to be transferred.
Removing Soluble Impurities
Add ammonium hydroxide to the solution, one drop at a time. This will cause a white precipitate to form. Continue adding the ammonium until you are certain that there is no more precipitate being formed. The solution is then gently mixed to assure that the ammonium is evenly distributed. At this point, the solution will have a milky look.
The solution is then added to about 100 ml of ethyl ether-a chemical with which great care must be taken, since it is quite combustible. This new solution is then vigorously mixed and left to sit. This will cause the water to settle at the bottom of the container; it is removed with a pipette and then discarded.
A mixture of 5 mL of HCl and 5 mL distilled water is created and added to the ethyl ether mixture. This is stirred vigorously for several minutes. Afterwards, a water layer will form at the bottom of the container. You then pipette this out and into a small container such as a petri dish
Deacidification
Slowly add baking soda to the solution in the petri dish. This will cause the solution to bubble. When the bubbling stops, this process is finished. The resulting solution is then air-dried, which yields pure heroin and table salt (NaCl). The salt is harmless and may be ingested along with the heroin.
by Dr. H © 2000
Last Modified: 5 January 2004
[Editor's Note: The following method for purifying street heroin comes to us from a once infamous clandestine heroin chemist who has "gone straight". He has asked to remain anonymous for obvious reasons. He also asked that we be very clear that this recipe explains a serious chemical process with the resulting risks: (1) accidents made during process could cause harm in the form of explosions, toxic vapors, and unknown other threats to the safety of the would-be chemist and those in close proximity; (2) even if performed exactly as written, this recipe will not increase the quantity, only the quality of what was already there; (3) the very act of using this recipe breaks drug manufacturing laws (along with many others besides) that can result in multi-year prison sentences and even death as punishment. The recipe is provided for educational purposes only--and as such, it will likely be quite useful to students of beginning organic chemistry.]
I was curious about the procedure for cleaning street heroin [that is on your site: Purifying Heroin]. Most of my practical laboratory experience was with various opiates, street, pharmaceutical or self made, so this is definitely something that I know about. In fact I purified some street heroin for a friend of mine one day. It requires only a little knowledge of basic organic extraction technique.
This is what I did:
Dissolve the street heroin in water.
Use the easily available Hydrion pH papers to monitor the pH during this procedure. Add Sodium Hydroxide in solution dropwise while checking the pH. Use a narrow glass or plastic rod to touch a minimum of the drug solution to the paper to avoid loss. Stop when the pH reaches about 9.
Extract with chloroform.
Chloroform is far superior to diethyl ether in that it is non-flammable and does not present storage problems, where explosive peroxides can be formed. Note: Chloroform is an ideal solvent for heroin, codeine, and most other opiates, with the major exception of morphine which requires a mixed solvent.
Separate the chloroform layer and wash with a minimum quantity of cold water: 1-2 ml works well. Evaporate the chloroform taking care not to burn the residue on the bottom of the beaker. Note: Chloroform is a known carcinogen, so plenty of ventilation (and a respirator) would be advisable. The chloroform is so volatile that this step is actually quite easy to perform.
????: Drugs Forum http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10008
Add a dilute solution of HCl dropwise while stirring with a glass rod.
Monitor the pH closely. As the acid is being added, the diacetyl morphine base is being neutralized and converted into the water-soluble hydrochloride salt form.
When all the solid material has just dissolved, stop adding the HCl.
I found that this takes place around pH 5-6. Note: If one tries to bring the pH all of the way up to 7, the free base alkaloid precipitates back out requiring addition of more HCl. The resulting solution will be in an injectable form; it will now be completely clear with no colored impurities or particulate matter.
Having clarified this procedure, I would hope that nobody would actually attempt it. To an experienced chemist this is all so routine that you could do it blindfolded. But I noticed that even the college students in my Organic lab class, who had no prior organic chemistry experience, were remarkably clueless around a separatory funnel the first time. This is to say that what is trivial in the hands of an experienced chemist will likely be unusable (at best) and dangerous (at worst) in the hands of an amateur. This chemistry isn't to be played with.
by Anonymous © 2003
The procedures are taken from heroinhelper.com.