Opiods

Question 1

Analysis of opioids

Answer 1

Marquis colour test turns purple for opium derivatives, orange/brown with amphetamines and methamphetamine.
GC-MS and HPLC will tell you the derivative eg. Heroin.

Question 2

Production of heroin

Answer 2

Opium poppy cultivated.
Poppy head is scored and the latex collected.
Morphine is isolated from the latex and treated with a acylating agent.
Morphine hydrochloride is heated with acetic acid and then cooled.
Water and charcoal are added. Solution is filtered.
Hot sodium bicarbonate is added and heroin base is filtered and dried.

Question 3

Production of opium

Answer 3

produced from the papaver sommniferum.
Latex is collected from immature seed pods and dried for several days producing sticky brown compound.
Opium usually cooked for smoking
Raw opium added to water, boiled, filtered then reheated.
Paste produced is dried until putty like consistency occurs.

Question 4

Production of morphine

Answer 4

First steps in opium, then raw opium is added to water, boiled and dissolved.
Calcium hydroxide added and solution is cooled and filtered.
Solution reheated and ammonium chloride is added then cooled.
Morphine base crystallises out of solution and is filtered off and dried.

Question 5

How can morphine be further purified

Answer 5

by dissolving in hydrochloric acid, boiling with charcoal and filtering. process may be repeated several times. solution is cooled and the morphine hydrochloride produced as a white powder is dried. It is then pressed into blocks.

Question 6

How heroin is produced for smoking

Answer 6

Heroin base is mixed with hydrochloric acid to produce heroin hydrochloride. Adulterant and flavourings are added eg. caffeine quinine hydrochloride. Produces a paste that is dried and crushed, which can then be smoked.

Question 7

How is heroin produced for injecting (making it soluble)

Answer 7

Heroin base is mixed with acetic anhydride and chloroform.
The impurities are precipitated out and the water layer is removed.
Charcoal is added and filtered.
Hot sodium bicarbonate is then added.
Heroin base heated on a steam bath then dissolved in ethyl acetate.
Hydrochloric acid is added in an ethanol solution where a solid forms and is filtered off. This is dried wrapped in paper over lime rock.

Question 8

Effects of opioids

Answer 8

include feelings of euphoria, reducted sensitivity to physical and emotional pain, sedation, motor effects, depresses respiration, hypothermia, suppress cough reflex.

Question 9

Semi synthetic vs synthetic

Answer 9

Semi synthetic are synthesised by functional modification of a product extracted from opium. (Changing the functional group) eg. heroin
Synthetic are compounds with some opioid receptor affinity, synthesised using no products extracted from opium. eg. methadone

Question 10

What are opioids

Answer 10

Drugs including plant derived alkaloids, a number of synthetic compounds and a large group of pepetides.
Have a wide medical use due to ability to induce analgesia (pain relief).
Have extensive recreational use because of their ability to endure euphoria (feeling of intense pleasure). This is because they block the reuptake of dopamine in the brain.