The Poor Man's Guide to OTC Codeine Extraction
By: Ayatollah Jones ([email protected]) and Diatribe ([email protected])
Introduction:
Variations of this particular method have been posted in the past. This method has been refined to ensure the most effective extraction with the least amount of loss. It has also been confirmed by chemical analysis at a University lab.
This method is for ingestion only. If one were to inject the resulting brew into their bloodstream, they would likely suffer some rather unpleasant effects such as fluid buildup in their lungs and possibly death. You have been warned.
This method has been simplified for the layperson, and does not go into complex explanations of the chemical interactions and solubility factors involved in this process. Information on the scientific principals behind this process are beyond the scope of this document. For more detailed information regarding these issues, refer to the "further reading" section at the end of this guide.
The Theory:
Acetaminophen and codeine are both fairly soluble in water. Codeine will dissolve in both hot and cold water. Acetaminophen (and aspirin too) on the other hand, will not.
The minimum temperature for acetaminophen to dissolve in water is a good 5-10 degrees higher than codeine. Therefore, if one were to lower the temperature of the water to below the minimum solubility temperature of the acetaminophen, then one would be left with a codeine/water mixture, with the acetominophen falling to the bottom.
One could "conclude" that by dissolving acetaminophen/codeine pills in hot water, and then cooling the solution, one could separate the two compounds, and filter the resulting liquid to entirely remove the acetaminophen.
The Methodology:
Step one: Grab some T1's from your local pharmacy. You don't need a prescription after all, their OTC! What's that? You're an American and can't buy paltry AC&C's over the counter? Well then I guess you'll have to think of something else...
Step two: Crush a respectable amount of the pills into a fine powder. Each pill only has 8mg of codeine, so base your dosage on your tolerance for this type of chemical. Beginners could probably get a good rally from around 12-20 tablets.
Step three: Place the resulting pill-powder into a glass of fairly hot, but not boiling, water. Hot tap water should do the trick. Stir. Make sure most of the powder dissolves. Any powder that does not dissolve after vigorous mixing will most likely be acetaminophen. So not to worry.
Step four: Allow the mixture to cool to room-temperature. Bringing the temperature down too fast will reduce the effectiveness of the process. That's why we let the mixture cool to room temperature first before proceeding to...
Step five: Place the mixture in the freezer and allow it to cool to the point where it is just above freezing. Anywhere from five to ten celsius is good. In an average freezer, this could take up to half an hour. No need to accurately measure the temperature, as long as it "feels cold" then it should be OK.
Step six: Take the cooled liquid out, and slowly filter it into another container. If you don't have any good chemical filters, a coffee filter will do nicely. For best results, use Melita natural brown coffee filters. They aren't bleached, and will allow for a more pure end-result. Once the filtration process is complete, take a look at the filter. The resulting powder left on the filter is the acetaminophen.
Step seven: Take the resulting brew and drink it down. It will taste very bitter. You can try throwing some kool-aid mix in with it, or even mix it with some strong chocolate milk to cut the flavour. Alternatively, you can drink it straight and "chase" it with some cola, much like any other foul tasting substance.
Step eight: Enjoy the effects, knowing that you aren't killing your liver with high doses of acetaminophen. Oh, and try not to get too itchy.
The Test:
Thanks in part certain chemistry student aquaintances, who just happened to have access to a University chemistry lab, the results of this method were able to be subjected to chemical analysis.
The liquid solution produced by the extraction process was shown to have almost no traces of acetaminophen whatsoever (less than ~1% of the original content). The analisys indicated that the mixture consisted of codeine, water, caffeine, and cornstartch. Cornstartch is apparently used as a binding agent in the pills themselves, and as such made its way into the final product.
Unfortunately this method does not also filter out the caffeine. So, when filtering large quantities of T1 pills, don't forget that you'll also be getting large amounts of caffeine in the end result. Be aware.
Further Reading:
The Codeine Faq -- Includes the process from which the above was based upon.
OTC Codeine Extraction -- A thread from the Lycaeum Discussion Forums.
By: Ayatollah Jones ([email protected]) and Diatribe ([email protected])
Introduction:
Variations of this particular method have been posted in the past. This method has been refined to ensure the most effective extraction with the least amount of loss. It has also been confirmed by chemical analysis at a University lab.
This method is for ingestion only. If one were to inject the resulting brew into their bloodstream, they would likely suffer some rather unpleasant effects such as fluid buildup in their lungs and possibly death. You have been warned.
This method has been simplified for the layperson, and does not go into complex explanations of the chemical interactions and solubility factors involved in this process. Information on the scientific principals behind this process are beyond the scope of this document. For more detailed information regarding these issues, refer to the "further reading" section at the end of this guide.
The Theory:
Acetaminophen and codeine are both fairly soluble in water. Codeine will dissolve in both hot and cold water. Acetaminophen (and aspirin too) on the other hand, will not.
The minimum temperature for acetaminophen to dissolve in water is a good 5-10 degrees higher than codeine. Therefore, if one were to lower the temperature of the water to below the minimum solubility temperature of the acetaminophen, then one would be left with a codeine/water mixture, with the acetominophen falling to the bottom.
One could "conclude" that by dissolving acetaminophen/codeine pills in hot water, and then cooling the solution, one could separate the two compounds, and filter the resulting liquid to entirely remove the acetaminophen.
The Methodology:
Step one: Grab some T1's from your local pharmacy. You don't need a prescription after all, their OTC! What's that? You're an American and can't buy paltry AC&C's over the counter? Well then I guess you'll have to think of something else...
Step two: Crush a respectable amount of the pills into a fine powder. Each pill only has 8mg of codeine, so base your dosage on your tolerance for this type of chemical. Beginners could probably get a good rally from around 12-20 tablets.
Step three: Place the resulting pill-powder into a glass of fairly hot, but not boiling, water. Hot tap water should do the trick. Stir. Make sure most of the powder dissolves. Any powder that does not dissolve after vigorous mixing will most likely be acetaminophen. So not to worry.
Step four: Allow the mixture to cool to room-temperature. Bringing the temperature down too fast will reduce the effectiveness of the process. That's why we let the mixture cool to room temperature first before proceeding to...
Step five: Place the mixture in the freezer and allow it to cool to the point where it is just above freezing. Anywhere from five to ten celsius is good. In an average freezer, this could take up to half an hour. No need to accurately measure the temperature, as long as it "feels cold" then it should be OK.
Step six: Take the cooled liquid out, and slowly filter it into another container. If you don't have any good chemical filters, a coffee filter will do nicely. For best results, use Melita natural brown coffee filters. They aren't bleached, and will allow for a more pure end-result. Once the filtration process is complete, take a look at the filter. The resulting powder left on the filter is the acetaminophen.
Step seven: Take the resulting brew and drink it down. It will taste very bitter. You can try throwing some kool-aid mix in with it, or even mix it with some strong chocolate milk to cut the flavour. Alternatively, you can drink it straight and "chase" it with some cola, much like any other foul tasting substance.
Step eight: Enjoy the effects, knowing that you aren't killing your liver with high doses of acetaminophen. Oh, and try not to get too itchy.
The Test:
Thanks in part certain chemistry student aquaintances, who just happened to have access to a University chemistry lab, the results of this method were able to be subjected to chemical analysis.
The liquid solution produced by the extraction process was shown to have almost no traces of acetaminophen whatsoever (less than ~1% of the original content). The analisys indicated that the mixture consisted of codeine, water, caffeine, and cornstartch. Cornstartch is apparently used as a binding agent in the pills themselves, and as such made its way into the final product.
Unfortunately this method does not also filter out the caffeine. So, when filtering large quantities of T1 pills, don't forget that you'll also be getting large amounts of caffeine in the end result. Be aware.
Further Reading:
The Codeine Faq -- Includes the process from which the above was based upon.
OTC Codeine Extraction -- A thread from the Lycaeum Discussion Forums.
