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Meth Recrystallization/purification questions

d4m4g3d

Greenlighter
Joined
Oct 13, 2019
Messages
5
I have been experimenting with different purification methods for some time and I have a few questions that I cannot seem to find answers to in general chemistry texts or sites.

  1. Acetone is almost worthless. The stuff I'm getting is generally accepted to be of high purity (but I'm not so sure). Wash with anhydrous acetone removes little or nothing from the weight of the product. From my readings on this and a few other sites this would indicate that it's probably cut with glucose or something else with a similar solubility profile to the meth itself.
  2. Solvent choice: anecdotal reports on this site have led me to believe that solvent choice greatly affects the final product of recrystallization. I use 99% isopropanol, but some people say that methanol produces different results.
  3. Recrystallization method: I am doing a cooling recrystallization. This had brought me mixed results and doesn't seem to be as effective at separating the adulterants from the gear as an evaporative recrystallization does. I imagine this is due to the speed at which the crystals form which is much faster when using the cooling method.
  4. WTF is this? : especially when I use the evaporative method, I get a ring of whitish-yellow cakey stuff encircling my evaporating basin. I assume this is the glucose. It does still contain some amounts of gear as I have collected it and conducted the same procedure yielding more pure(ish) crystals. The actual crystals form below this substance (possibly due to their greater density?) and are easy to visually differentiate.
  5. Washing: when I do a cooling recrystallization, no matter what I do, I seem to end up with white stuff that burns in a pipe coating the outside of the crystals. It's the same stuff that collects around the outside of the basin when I do evaporative recrystallization. It's pretty foul in a pipe. How can I get rid of this? It doesn't dissolve in acetone so that doesn't help. I've tried rinsing it with cold 99% isopropanol, but this (obviously) takes a lot of the gear with it, and really doesn't seem to be effective at removing the stuff (likely due to similar solubility profile).
  6. Another question about recrystallization methods: I have devoured quite a few chemistry texts from various sources and have learned about some exotic methods of recrystallization involving complex equipment and apparatus. Is there any merit to exploring other lessoften used methods to recrystalize the gear? Solvent-solvent is the one I'm most interested in, because it harkens back to the original freebase methods for coke (see: Richard Pryor), especially which solvents might make it possible/optimal. (acetone-isopropanol?)
  7. Any other tips, tricks, hacks, or improvisations? I am most curious to hear from anyone who has formal training in chemistry, but I know that hobbyist harm-reducers like myself also have a lot of useful insights as well.
  8. Thanks in advance! I appreciate the time and effort anyone here puts in to answering posts like mine. I have learned a lot from this forum and am glad that it exists and helps people to be safer in their psychonautics.
 
Is your goal to have a smokeable final product? What is the issue when you smoke the product as is? If you suspect glucose I'd recommend finding another supplier.

On a side note, if what you have is "cartel" meth (which is essentially all meth in the USA), I'd recommend eating good sized doses rather smoking. There is evidence that cartel meth has a small but active proportion of l-methamphetamine in it (they begin with producing racemic meth, then they go through three cycles of resolution - racemization until they get a mostly enantiomerically pure product-- but some l-meth still remains). This is something you can't wash out.

Eating this meth results in the l-methamphetamine being less noticeable. Of course, its hard to tell someone who is used to smoking meth that they should switch to oral use (since the practice/ritual of smoking itself is addictive).
 
I have been experimenting with different purification methods for some time and I have a few questions that I cannot seem to find answers to in general chemistry texts or sites.

  1. Acetone is almost worthless. The stuff I'm getting is generally accepted to be of high purity (but I'm not so sure). Wash with anhydrous acetone removes little or nothing from the weight of the product. From my readings on this and a few other sites this would indicate that it's probably cut with glucose or something else with a similar solubility profile to the meth itself.
  2. Solvent choice: anecdotal reports on this site have led me to believe that solvent choice greatly affects the final product of recrystallization. I use 99% isopropanol, but some people say that methanol produces different results.
  3. Recrystallization method: I am doing a cooling recrystallization. This had brought me mixed results and doesn't seem to be as effective at separating the adulterants from the gear as an evaporative recrystallization does. I imagine this is due to the speed at which the crystals form which is much faster when using the cooling method.
  4. WTF is this? : especially when I use the evaporative method, I get a ring of whitish-yellow cakey stuff encircling my evaporating basin. I assume this is the glucose. It does still contain some amounts of gear as I have collected it and conducted the same procedure yielding more pure(ish) crystals. The actual crystals form below this substance (possibly due to their greater density?) and are easy to visually differentiate.
  5. Washing: when I do a cooling recrystallization, no matter what I do, I seem to end up with white stuff that burns in a pipe coating the outside of the crystals. It's the same stuff that collects around the outside of the basin when I do evaporative recrystallization. It's pretty foul in a pipe. How can I get rid of this? It doesn't dissolve in acetone so that doesn't help. I've tried rinsing it with cold 99% isopropanol, but this (obviously) takes a lot of the gear with it, and really doesn't seem to be effective at removing the stuff (likely due to similar solubility profile).
  6. Another question about recrystallization methods: I have devoured quite a few chemistry texts from various sources and have learned about some exotic methods of recrystallization involving complex equipment and apparatus. Is there any merit to exploring other lessoften used methods to recrystalize the gear? Solvent-solvent is the one I'm most interested in, because it harkens back to the original freebase methods for coke (see: Richard Pryor), especially which solvents might make it possible/optimal. (acetone-isopropanol?)
  7. Any other tips, tricks, hacks, or improvisations? I am most curious to hear from anyone who has formal training in chemistry, but I know that hobbyist harm-reducers like myself also have a lot of useful insights as well.
  8. Thanks in advance! I appreciate the time and effort anyone here puts in to answering posts like mine. I have learned a lot from this forum and am glad that it exists and helps people to be safer in their psychonautics.
Is there any inexpensive process that I can do in an apartment discreetly? I iv, I've recently been practically poisoned twice and I can't get hooked on fentanyl.
 
Is there any inexpensive process that I can do in an apartment discreetly? I iv, I've recently been practically poisoned twice and I can't get hooked on fentanyl.
You can do all of this discreetly in an apartment imo. Just remember good ventilation is a MUST when working with any chemical that gives off fumes. This will both affect your safety/health and the discreetness (if it reeks suspiciously). You should not have to worry too much though, i know that much.

Realistically, with meth (besides cooking it), most teks like this can be done discreetly with little real glasswear. Besides something like a isomer resolution.
 
Also, I dont really have any trustworthy connection, the few I have, don't have a clue of what's in their meth...
if youre in the US, most of the issue with recrystalization can be the fact that racemic meth is unable to recrystalize the same way d-meth does. Thats what i think
 
yea I get big shards and rocks. with an acetone was on a 1/4 im maybe getting .2-.3 loss max. but it does taste smoother and i notice the high is less edgy. more melow and longer lasting
 
You can do all of this discreetly in an apartment imo. Just remember good ventilation is a MUST when working with any chemical that gives off fumes. This will both affect your safety/health and the discreetness (if it reeks suspiciously). You should not have to worry too much though, i know that much.

Realistically, with meth (besides cooking it), most teks like this can be done discreetly with little real glasswear. Besides something like a isomer resolution.
Examples of a cheap isomer resolution?
 
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