MDMA Crystals - why the fizzing?

[EntheoDjinn]

I've checked EZTest.com and the stickies, but have either missed this or it's not been covered yet. It's not really a molly ID question - more of a general question.

I acquired some crystals recently which when tested with both Marquis and Mecke reagents gave the classic purple/dark blue responses for MDxx. The experience was extremely postive - at 2mg/kg I was slightly overwhelmed initially, but settled into a nice 4-5 hour roll. No significant increase in heart rate, and usual slight increase in temperature. Absolutely no feelings of serotonin depletion whatsoever over the following week. In other words the substance seemed authentic by chemical test and pure by bioassay.

Back to the test. There was a fair amount of white smoke and fizzing of the test sample. This is what the blurb on EZTest.com says:

Q: What exactly am I looking for ?

A: A quick reaction to dark purple. There may be a flash of orange/brown when you apply the reagent to the powder but right after that, it should react to dark purple (within a few seconds). It is possible that the reaction fizzes or smokes a bit. ................

Now this smoke/fizzing has not happened in every test I've carried out previously, and there is nothing I can find that suggests just what might cause this - the quote above suggests that it is not abnormal though.

Any chemists out there who can satisfy my curiosity?

E

 

[phase_dancer]

Both Marguis and Mecke contain Sulphuric acid. The simple answer to your question involves the rapid heat of the intitial reactions. The HCl (from the amine salt) can be driven off as a gas which then causes the freebase to react even more violently.

Marquis also contains formaldehyde.

Under these highly acidic conditions formaldehyde forms a reactive carbonium ion which in turn reacts with a the aromatic ring of compounds containing an amine or alkyl amine substitute to produce a ring bound carbenium ion, which in the presence of H2SO4 stabilises by reacting with another cabenium ion (or the R-OH+ intermediate) via nucleophilic attack. This forms a compound composed of two amine molecules joined via a OH-CH2< bridge. Metal impurities in the sulphuric acid are thought to then catalyse some reactions to produce the coloured carbocation.

From UN literature, Mecke is thought to work via an intermediate created by reaction of the amine with sulphuric acid which is then oxidsed by selenious acid to produce the coloured product. The resulting complexes probably involve Selenous compounds of Se+4 valency.

 

[EntheoDjinn]

Both Marguis and Mecke contain Sulphuric acid. The simple answer to your question involves the rapid heat of the intitial reactions. The HCl (from the amine salt) can be driven off as a gas which then causes the freebase to react even more violently + rest of answer.

Wow - what an answer. My curiosity is more than completely satisfied p_d.

Many thanks ideed

E