Opioids CWE Method and Water Solubility Data

[NamelessNomad]

SWIM done a CWE with 4 Nurofen + tablets and 2 paracetamol/codeine tablets earlier. It went relatively well but it (about 75mg) wasn't enough codeine. SWIM was playing on the safe side as they hadn't done a CWE before.

SWIM would like to know whether there is any point in bothering to vary the temperature (start with warm water and cool it) while performing a CWE. SWIM would also like to ascertain some reliable values for the water solubility of codeine and ibuprofen. SWIM got this from Chemspider:

Ibuprofen - Water Sol (Exper. database match) = 21 mg/L (25 deg C) = 2.1 mg / 100 ml (25 deg C)
Exper. Ref: YALKOWSKY,SH & DANNENFELSER,RM (1992)

And from the Bluelight CWE thread:

Ibuprofen
SOLUBILITY IN WATER (31°C)
100mg/100mL
SOLUBILITY IN WATER (21°C)
7.8mg/100mL

With regards to Codeine, from Chemspider

Codeine - Water Sol (Exper. database match) = 9000 mg/L (20 deg C) = 900 mg / 100 ml (20 deg C)
Exper. Ref: YALKOWSKY,SH & DANNENFELSER,RM (1992)

From Bluelight CWE thread:
Codeine:
SOLUBILITY IN WATER (31°C)
1g/0.7mL = 1.4 grams per millilitre!!?
SOLUBILITY IN WATER (21°C)
1g/2.3mL = 43 g / 100 ml

In all honesty the Bluelight CWE thread values for codeine's water Solubility seem unreasticaly high (these exact same values are also on Erowid and drugs-forum incidentally). The data would mean SWIM would need just 0.0009 ml of water to disolve the codeine in one 12.8 mg tablet at 31°C, negating the binders. Surely that's not right? The value from Chemspider seems more realistic, 900mg / 100 ml at 20°C means 1.4 ml of water to disolve 12.8mg of codeine.

Either way SWIM presumes that its correct to assume that the water solubility of codeine decreases with temperature? And the same for Ibuprofen? However the water solubility of codeine appears to be so high anyway, that SWIM's not sure it is neccesary to use warm water in the first place. SWIM found it neccesary to use about 20ml of water to dissolve 4 tablets in the end, seemingly that's enough to disolve all the codeine and if relatively cold water is used in the first place, i.e. about 20C, then seemingly hardly any of the ibuprofen is going to get into the final product.

So SWIM's questions are basically is SWIM right in what they're saying - SWIM might as well just use normal cold water, filter the solution and be done with it! SWIM would also appreciate it if anyone could confirm or deny the water solubility values?

 

[Psychedelic Jay]

It tends to be universal...

When water cools down, it’s molecules shrivel up... Meaning less space for substances to dissolve in it...

Since opiate salts are very *polar in comparison to most if not all nsaids/acetaminophen, it is greatly more soluble... Even in colder temperatures.

That’s why for cold water extractions I state to not abuse the amount of water you use for the extraction.

Using too much water is letting more of the stuff you are trying to get rid of to become soluble, leading to a bad extraction.

If you use a proper amount of water, you will have very very negligible amounts of the contaminants left.

It will be clean enough to freebase the opiate in question out of solution, making it even more pure...

So, you can end up with at least 95-98% of your opiate in powder form if you do it right.


*represents that it may be the opposite of what I’m actually trying to say. I forget the whole polar/non-polar solubility thing...