There seems to have been some speculation that a testing facility may exist somewhere in Aus where samples of extracted product could be legally analysed. I'm certain that's not the case.
At risk of yet again sounding like a preacher, I wish to remind that extracting codeine from OTC products could be considered manufacture of a schedule 8 drug. Any product containing codeine only is classified as schedule 8 in Australia.
Also, a small amount of acetaminophen or ibuprofen present should not be of concern unless large amounts of the extracted product are ingested. And that usually means something other than occasional use. Having seen a few users go down hard from codeine addiction over the years, I strongly advise against finding an ally in this drug.
BL has guidelines against discussing most aspects of drug manufacture. In establishing the merits and disadvantages of discourse on the synth/extraction of different drugs, IMO, it could be argued that presenting details of a MDMA synth may well carry less likelihood of potential tragedy from the drug itself than discussing simple extractions of a highly addictive and easily available drug. So, while I recommend high dose codeine users avoid consuming large amounts of acetaminophen or ibuprofen, I won't participate in future discussion on codeine extractions, and I'm not prepared to offer suggestions on improving yields. The processes are basic, the solubility data easy to obtain. If you need to ask, you need to study up a bit.
In the interests of Harm Reduction, I'm prepared to summarise what I could find on reagent testing for acetaminophen and ibuprofen and mention a couple of other tests that might be helpful. Excessive use of acetaminophen can lead to serious liver damage, (see
this post for an explanation) so I will mention a test for paracetamol which
should provide a means of evaluating whether acetaminophen is present in an extract. While high intake of ibuprofen is also of concern, there doesn’t seem to be a reagent test for this (that I could find) that doesn’t also produce colour from reaction with codeine. One (Marquis) may be usable, but it would depend on the variation of colour each drug produced.
Reagents
Ferric Chloride solution: 1.7g of the hemihydrate dissolved in 20ml water. Reacts with phenols and will produce a yellow-green coloured product upon reaction with acetaminophen. Codeine shouldn't produce a colour as it contains no phenol group (but morphine does, and is known to react). Note; the cut-off value (detection limit) doesn’t seem to be easy to find, so this first needs to be established.
Ferric Chloride is toxic, corrosive, and will produce burns on contact with skin. Inhalation or ingestion of relatively small amounts can produce iron poisoning which is damaging to organs, especially the liver. Larger quantities can result in death. Ferric Chloride MSDS. However, FeCl3 can be used safely if common sense is employed. I was etching circuit boards with it at a young age with no problems.
Marquis Reagent: Marquis turns a violet colour with codeine and a brown colour at room temperatures with ibuprofen. As mentioned, it's hard to know whether small amounts of ibuprofen in a codeine extract could be identified by colour variation, at least with the eye.
Melting Point Tests
A melting point apparatus is best if available. Alternatively, a borosilicate glass (pyrex) test tube can be used with a thermometer and heat source (metho burner will suffice). In the case of the latter, a sample is placed in the tube with the thermometer and heated until the sample melts. The temperature variation over which melting occurs (from solid to liquid) is the melting point range. Even small amounts of acetaminophen and ibuprofen present would be expected to decrease the melting point of codeine phosphate.
Codeine phosphate melts at 220-235 deg C with some decomposition
Acetaminophen melts at 169-170.5 deg C
Ibuprofen 75-77 deg C
Thin Layer Chromatography
A really good method of identifying the presence of more than one drug is to use TLC. Descriptions of the process can be found online.
IMPORTANT: While a low scaled CWE may be performed in a kitchen without much risk of serious contamination, reagents should never be prepared or used in such environments. Many reagents contain very toxic chemicals, and must never be stored with, or used around areas where food is prepared. Standard safety; always wear gloves and eye protection etc when using any analytical reagent, including Marquis, Mandelin, Mecke, Simons etc.
