Science Melissa Cargill

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Hidden Figures of Drug History: Melissa Cargill

This is the first time researching a post in my “Hidden Figures of Drug History” series has legitimately pissed me off. Usually, when I’m trying to learn more about someone like Joan Ganz Cooney, Lenore Kandel or Kitty McNeil, the fantastically-nicknamed “Babbling Bodhisattva,” my research takes...

www.pointshistory.com

I was VERY suspicious of Owsley really being the man who almost alone turned on the USA to LSD. The routes available at the time weren't friendly and were indeed rather hazardous to carry out. Richard Kemp had a degree in chemistry and I would argue that a lot of practical chemistry experience would be required and the use of Chemical Abstracts (no on-line patents then) as well as an ability to divine from the bare-bones a patent provides into a practical and SAFE technique.

So I asked myself what I would do. Well, I would find someone who was a great conman with connections to the underground scene and MOST importantly, would wish to portray themselves as 'the guy who makes LSD'. I would quietly take my share of the profit and know when to stop. I would argue that the lady in the above article is very likely to have been the talented and competent organic chemist who was never arrested, let alone charged with any crime.

Basically, wealth tends to be far less fleeting than glory.

BTW That their appears to be only a single extant photograph of EC. I don't think their is an extant photograph of me less than 30 years old and not by accident. I conclude Owsley sought to use her, but in fact she just disappeared, seemingly, so just HOW much money did she make?

 

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Hardison's LSD-synthesis with PyBOP - [www.rhodium.ws]

BTW their are modern reagents like PyBOP that make LSD synthesis at least an order of magnitude simpler.

Of course people will point out that lysergic acid is a carefully controlled precursor. Well, it is. BUT it's 6-ethyl & 6-allyl homologues appear to be entirely uncontrolled as is 6-nor lysergic acid and Chinese suppliers are happy to provide them.

But even if they were legally controlled, Bromocryptine (for example) is a quite legal medicine. A Japanese team used bromocryptine and NaBD4 (sodium deuterohydride) to produce radiolabelled LSD in a yield of 70%. In fact, if one takes careful note of the various sources of compounds containing the lysergamide scaffold, their in fact at least a dozen LEGAL sources. In fact, it's not clear if the Japanese radiolabelled LSD WOULD be controlled as it has been established that deuterium can alter the bioactivity of a compound - patents have been issued based on these differences.

But let's stop short of believing that things like rosewood seeds and ergot represent reasonable precursors. Yes, people HAVE managed to isolate D-lysergic acid from both, but analysis of LSD from 1952 onwards shows not a single example of their being used. Why would they with dozens of much more practical precursors are commercially available?

That said - that unscrupulous vendors have sold NBOMes and DOx compounds AS LSD once again shows how Grisham's law will find it's way into any for-profit endevour.

 

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I just had to update the link.

I apologize if people didn't get to read the basis of my thinking but hopefully it's now readable.

If I EVER post a link that dies, please tell me, I will find you another one.

BTW if anyone is looking for the SIMPLEST LSD synthesis, I got you covered.

https://www.thevespiary.org/rhodium/Rhodium/pdf/bol-148.debromination.nab3h4-pdpph3.pdf

BOL-148 isn't psychoactive and thus can legally be obtained from a fine chemical company. While the paper discusses the use of NaBD4 (sodium boroduteride) to radio-label LSD, plain sodium borohydide will yield LSD.

Add to that the fact that their are actually several other lyseric acid amides that are as potent as LSD and I guess you could ask for the 2-Br derivatives of those as that then hugely increases the precursors that can be used.

But while others have made bold statements about purification, even if the linked route yields only 78%... the impurity isn't toxic nor does it affect the trip. Yes, perfectionists would seek to use chromatography to isolate pure LSD, it's worth knowing that MOST LSD sold worldwide is far from pure - bur the doses are so tiny that you merely adjust for weight of active.

Casey is an interesting guy, but even he admitted that his 'goal' was to make ultrapure LSD, he wasn't doing it for maximum throughput.

 

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Above is WELL worth a watch. It was the largest LSD ring ever discovered in the UK (which isn't to to say it was THE largest).

Note that Kemp proceeded via the hydrazine. Hydrazine hydrate and sulfur trioxide were the only two routes available to convert a sensitive carboxylic acid into it's (diethyl) amide).

US2090429 - hydrazide​

US2774763 - sulfur trioxide.​