stimulants

Question 1

what are stimulants

Answer 1

drugs that tend to increase alertness, physical activity resulting in increased heart rate, respiration rates, blood pressure, dilated pupils, and decreased appetite.

Question 2

what are the 2 most widely abused stimulants

Answer 2

amphetamines

cocaine

Question 3

amphetamines timeline

Answer 3

1887 – first synthesised

1912 – MDMA first synthesised

1919 – Methamphetamine first synthesised

1930s – amphetamines over the counter

World war 11 – amphetamine and methamphetamine distributed to soldiers to help improve performance

1977- UK list MDMA as well as other compounds structurally derived from MDMA as Class A drug

Question 4

what are amphetamine available as

Answer 4

powder, tablet, capsule

Question 5

colour of amphetamine

Answer 5

ranges from white to yellow to red and brown

Question 6

how are amphetamines taken?

Answer 6

smoked
snorted
orally ingested
injected

Question 7

amphetamine facts

Answer 7

synthetic stimulants

all amphetamines cause significant tolerance, physical and psychological dependence

Question 8

street amphetamine

Answer 8

white power or tablet

sometimes bright colour

may be lumpy due to mp

smell chemically

Question 9

street amphetamine submissions

Answer 9

street deal 0.5-1g

purity 1-15%

commonly cut with caffeine and glucose

Question 10

street amphetamine melting point

Answer 10

11.3 degrees celsius

Question 11

amphetamine manufacture

Answer 11

Fully synthetic

Leuckart method

Starts from benzyl methyl ketone (BMK) precursor

Question 12

methamphetamine

Answer 12

Methamphetamine hydrochloride

- More potent than amphetamine

Question 13

properties of methamphetamine

Answer 13

Similar to amphetamine

Smoking

Freebase – drop liquid onto tobacco

Can be smoked as hydrochloride salt

Liquid at room temp

Question 14

appearance of methamphetamine

Answer 14

Varies according to purity

Typically white or off white

Brown to pink coloration seen

Yellow not uncommon

May smell of chemicals

Variable purity, crystal meth often >80%

Question 15

melting point of methamphetamine

Answer 15

3 degrees Celsius

Question 16

methamphetamine manufacture

Answer 16

Fully synthetic

Synthesis from pseudoephedrine is common

Hydrogen Iodide/Red Phosphorus methods – Common

Nazi’ method using ammonia and Lithium

Question 17

hydrogen iodine/red phosphorous method - methamphetamine manufacture

Answer 17

Red phosphorous, iodine and filtered pseudoephedrine mixed

Heating of reaction fuels conversion

Boil for 4+ hours

Filter

Separation
 Make basic
 Ass non-polar solvent and separate nonpolar layer
 Bubble through HCl gas and reclaim precipitate

Question 18

‘Nazi’ method using ammonia and lithium - methamphetamine manufacture

Answer 18

Ground pseudoephedrine mixed with Li and anhydrous ammonia added

Ammonia produced from fertiliser + NaOH

Add water to complete lithium reaction

Oil collects on surface

Separation and purification
 Add non-polar solvent and separate nonpolar layer
 Bubble through HCl gas and reclaim precipitate

Question 19

ecstasy (MDMA)

Answer 19

3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine

Purely synthesised drug first produced in 1912

Illicit use and administration
- Tablet form

Question 20

testing of amphetamines

Answer 20

presumptive test

• Marquis test is a yellow to orange colour
• Marquis test for 3,4-methyleldioxy compounds is a purple-blue colour
• Colour of marquis test for opiates is indigo

Question 21

cocaine

Answer 21

alkaloid from coco plant

typically white powder with bitter, numbing taste

Cocaine has both painkilling properties similar to novocaine, and stimulant properties like adrenaline

Cocaine was used as a local anaesthetic. It blocks transmission of pain impulses from the nerves to the brain

At higher dosages it can even block nerve impulses from the brain to the lungs, so that breathing stops resulting in coma

Cocaine gives all the well-recognised physical reaction of stimulants

Addictive, tolerance often developed quickly, dependence

Question 22

street cocaine divided into two forms

Answer 22

well known cocaine, HCl salt

crack, smokable free base form

Question 23

cocaine timeline

Answer 23

1580 – coca leaves brought to Europe

1855 – cocaine first extracted from coco leaves

1859 – cocaine first isolated as active ingredient

1884 – used as local anaesthetic in eye surgery

1886 – Coca-Cola first introduced containing cocaine (remove 1901)

1976 – freebase cocaine first developed

Question 24

cocaine extraction

Answer 24

Simple

Cocaine hydrochloride dissolved in water, alkali added and heated

Converts salt to base which precipitate and melts to form an oil

Cooled and supernatant removed

Advantages

• Produced a smokable drug
• Process removes some impurities up to 90%
• Increases rate of absorption and hence quicker effect

Question 25

street cocaine impurtites

Answer 25

Cinnamoylcocaine
Tropacocaine
Benzolecgonine
Methylecgonine
Ecgonine

Question 26

presumptive test for cocaine

Answer 26

Scott test (solution A, B and C)
-	Cocaine will turn solution A blue, upon addition of B, the blue colour turns clear pink, upon addition of C, blue colour reappears in the chloroform (bottom) layer

Need to run a positive and negative control

Limitation some impurities from cocaine will test positive