LSD Degradation

I won't reiterate old posts regarding discussion on various storage methods (a search will yield many threads), but in summary it is believed that the best way to store LSD is to minimize its exposure to light, heat, and oxygen.

The following from what I can gather the optimal storage procedure when considering the constraints. An experiment has commenced where tabs have been vacuumed sealed (to prevent oxygen exposure) and stored in a freezer (to prevent exposure to heat and light). An added benefit of vacuum sealing is that it will prevent condensation from forming within the plastic packaging. Results will be posted over time to determine if the tabs remain as potent after set time periods qualified by anecdotal experience.

We all know that LSD degrades over time, and herein lies my question. If you had known quantities of LSD and exposed it to varying conditions to degrade then quantified it by GC/MS, would the better stored LSD have a higher microgram count? (ie. less micrograms of LSD were destroyed?) What is happening on a chemical level when degradation occurs?

Degradation of the chemical would be due to one weak point or other in the molecular structure. Exposure to energy and an oxidant would result in said weak points having sufficient energy to break bongs and thus either changing the structure of the molecule or creating multiple different molecules altogether. Or, of course change of structure by oxidation of the molecule.

Assuming you did vacuum seal LSD and kept it in a freezer with as little moisture as possible and no light (keeping the freezer closed as much as possible, it'd be safe to say that the sealed LSD would have a higher molecule count than one left in a dark cupboard, one left in a lit area, or one left in the open.

MoeBro: are you suggesting that this higher molecule count could be quantified by GC/MS having higher micrograms? ie. less ug degraded through the breakdown of bonds?

Well the breakdown of the molecule will result in either different molecular structures or multiple different smaller molecules.

GC is able to quantify the molecules of a certain structure (edit: or mass? I can't remember - sorry =\ ), thus you'd be able to compare the ratio of how many molecules had remained stable to those broken down.

Then again, there's also the chance that the exposure to heat inside the oven of the gas chromatograph will result in the further degradation of stable molecules of LSD.

In regards to LSD degredation which out of UV light, temperature and oxygen was determined to have the greatest effect on degradation and was a particular form of LSD shown to be more resistant to degredation eg i'd assume acid in microdots to be more resistant to degredation than blotters.