1 (pseudo)ephedrine hcl - 100-120 tablets * kmno4 "potassium permanganate" ~ 10 grams * isopropanol "isopropyl alcohol" 70-100% 200 ml * hydrochloric acid 30-37% ~ 5 ml * acetone 200 ml * Methanol "methyl alcohol" ~ 200 ml * Distilled water ~ 1 liter 2 "Mason jars" with red rubber. Made entirely of glass, with a metal closure; Grandma also uses them to make jam. Each jar should hold 1 liter. 1 drinking glass plastic funnel ~ 10 coffee filters measuring cup with 'ml' graduated syringe, 10-20 ml scale pyrex glass pot, large glass or plastic pot 1 liter glass or stainless steel stirring bar refrigerator thermometer Microwave ph test strips Note: Use only distilled water in the whole process, otherwise the synthesis will fail! You need exactly 3 grams (pseudo) of ephedrine hcl. Look at the box with the tabs (mg per piece) and calculate the required number according to the simple formula: number of pieces = 3000 mg (3 g) / mg per tablet [eg: 3000 mg/ 25 mg = 125 pieces] Empty the calculated number of tablets (eg 100125) into the first mason jar. Measure 150 ml of distilled water and pour it into the glass with the tablets. Shake for a while until the tablets soften and begin to disintegrate. Open the lid of the container and place the jar in the microwave, turn on and heat until hot (70-80 degrees Celsius). However, it should not start boiling, after you let it sit for 5 minutes, you will see a white fuzz (pill filler) settle at the bottom. Now take two coffee filters (one inside the other) and place them in the funnel. Place the funnel on the second mason jar. Now slowly and carefully pour the extract through the filter into the second glass, making sure that most of the white residue remains in the first glass.
Note: Depending on the type of coffee filter, this can take 5 to 30 minutes. You now have 2 glasses, one with a white mass and some water, the other with a clear, clear liquid. This jar contains (pseudo) extracted ephedrine.
Measure the distance of 150 ml. Take out the water and pour it into the first glass that has a white residue. Close the lid and shake vigorously for a few seconds. Then repeat the microwave heating and filtering as before. Of course with two new filters! Now repeat the whole process for the third time, with the difference that in this (last) round, pour all the contents of the first glass, including the white fluff, into the filter. First the water and then the filler, otherwise the filter pores will leak. When all the water is out, squeeze the filters gently by hand, but be careful not to break them. Result in the second glass: ~400 ml of eph extracted. - You can wash the first glass and put it aside. 400 ml because each coffee filter absorbs about 10-15 ml. Now fill it up to 450 ml with dist. Open the water, close the lid and put the jar in the refrigerator. (must be cooled to at least 2°C, preferably 1-2°C) Be careful not to freeze anything Preparation of kmno4 solution: ------------------------ -------- Note: Depending on the type of pill used, a specific amount of kmno4 should be used for the reaction. This amount is calculated from the molecular weight of the individual components: Pseudoephedrine hcl: 19.0 mL Ephedrine hcl: 15.5 mL Take an empty, washed Mason jar and fill it with 250 mL. Drain and set aside. Now fill the glass or plastic pot with one liter of tap water at a temperature of 30-35 degrees Celsius. Take the drinking glass and empty exactly 100 ml of it. Now put the glass in the water in the pot and let the temperature of the water in the glass reach 26 degrees Celsius. Check this with a thermometer and stir constantly with a glass rod to keep the temperature constant throughout. Now weigh out exactly 6.0 g of kmno4 and add it to the 100 ml interval. water while stirring constantly. Note: The solubility of kmno4 is strongly related to water temperature. 25°C is optimal. Now let the glass stand for 5-10 minutes to ensure good resolution of kmno4. But there will always be some seeds left on the ground.
Now withdraw the syringe with the above amount (19.0 ml or 15.5 ml) of kmno4 solution and add it to the 250 ml space. The water in the mason jar immediately turns dark red to black. Close the lid, shake the solution vigorously and then put it in the refrigerator next to the other beaker, you can keep the beaker with the rest of the kmno4 for the next synthesis or empty it. Note: Both glasses should be cooled in the refrigerator at a temperature of 1-2 degrees Celsius. This takes between 4-6 hours. Feel free to let this time pass, because if they are not cool enough, the synthesis will fail! 3- Reaction: Now simply mix the two cold liquids together, shake vigorously and place the mason jar in the refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours. If possible, shake the jar every hour for the first 6 hours to get the best mixture or reaction. Note: 0 hours - dark red to black mixture. ~ 2 hours - same as the beginning. ~ 4 hours - the first separation of the corpse ... ~6 hours. - Advanced separation, brown particles slowly settle to the bottom... ~ 8 hrs. - It is now a fairly clear liquid in the glass. A slightly mobile brown to dark red precipitate formed at the bottom ... ~ 10 hours. - The liquid is now completely clear and optically clean to separate from the brown debris that has collected at the top and bottom of the glass. Leave the jar in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, but not more than 12 hours. Note: (pseudo)ephrin in solution is now oxidized to methcathinone. It smells like pistachio ice cream. But it's not the methcathinone that smells, but the benzaldehyde that forms as a byproduct of the reaction. When the liquid looks completely clear, remove it from the refrigerator and add 100 ml of isopropanol. This is because the remaining kmno4 still has something to oxidize instead of (pseudo)ephedrine. Place the jar on a rack with a lid and let it come to room temperature. This takes between 3-5 hours. Preparation for crystallization: ------------------------------------- Now place the funnel on another ( (empty and washed) mason jar and put three coffee filters in it. Now slowly drain the meth cathinone solution from the strainer. Make sure to put only the last brown heel into the filter to avoid clogging.
After filtration, the solution should be completely clear, otherwise you need to filter it a second time. Now you need to correct the ph value. Measure it with a ph test stick, it will be about 8-9. Now you need to add hydrochloric acid to make sure that the hcl form is produced. Add drop by drop, stir vigorously with a glass rod, and measure the pH again after each drop. It should be between 5 and 6.5, this is achieved after 3 to 4 drops. Note: Be careful not to add too much hydrochloric acid, as this can lead to serious problems later! Crystallization: ---------------------- Now empty all the contents of the beaker into a Pyrex pot (Pyrex only!) and place it on the hot plate. Plate or stove. Turn on the lowest setting and start heating the whole thing. Make sure the liquid never boils during the entire process (5-7 hours)! The temperature should be reduced to 70-80 degrees Celsius. Note: 0 hours - temperature 25 degrees Celsius / ~ 760 ml ~ 2 hours. - Temperature 75 degrees Celsius / ~ 550 ml ~ 4 hours. - Temperature 75 degrees Celsius / ~ 300 ml ~ 6 hours. - Temperature 75 degrees Celsius / ~ 150 ml ~ 8 hours. - Temperature 75°C / ~10ml When only 10ml remains, the liquid will be a slightly yellow, very oily substance. Its thickness should be as cold as engine oil. It is important to evaporate as much water as possible, otherwise crystal formation will be hindered. Now add a little methanol (20 ml). You should now see the first yellowish white methcathinone crystals in the oil. Stir lightly with a glass rod and then separate the alcohol into a clean beaker or mason jar. Note: Methanol helps to remove water and dry the crystals in a reasonable amount of time. The oil in the pot will slowly disappear. More crystals begin to form. Under the slightest "flame" and constant stirring, the crystals gradually become drier and firmer. Be careful not to overheat them! If they become colored (blue-green) or start to melt, the temperature is too high! Now add a drop of acetone (20 ml). You will immediately see that the crystals become almost snow white and some impurities (coffee filter particles, hair...) remain in the acetone. Note: Acetone helps remove dirt and oil residue.
Separate the acetone and empty it into the container in which you have already poured methanol. You will immediately see how crystals form in the cup or glass that the acetone has already dissolved. And again some crystals are saved from acetone. Carefully evaporate or evaporate the last water until the crystals are reduced to a dry powder in a Pyrex pan. Using a knife, slide them onto a glass or plastic plate to dry. Also filter the methcathinone from the cup with a knife. You can grind it into a fine powder with a razor... Note that the increase will be more than 3 grams. Because kmno4 and hydrochloric acid form the by-product "potassium chloride" which crystallizes at the end.