Introduction
You bought ecstasy tablets with unusual effects, or you want to figure out pollutants and admixtures with help of testing experiments before use them. Open this article and use it as a guide for experimenting. The list of manipulations with ecstasy tablet, a brief description of the products, and useful information for home tests are presented below.
What is ecstasy
MDMA has become widely known as ecstasy (shortened Ecstasy, E, X, XTC, Rolls, Beans, Adam, Molly), usually referring to its tablet form, although this term may also include the presence of possible adulterants or diluents. The UK term "mandy" and the US term "molly" colloquially refer to MDMA in a crystalline powder form that is thought to be free of adulterants. MDMA is also sold in the form of the hydrochloride salt, either as loose crystals or in gelcaps. MDMA tablets can sometimes be found in a shaped form that may depict characters from popular culture. These are sometimes collectively referred to as "fun tablets".
Possible composition of ecstasy tablet
The name ecstasy is sometimes used for the entire group of closely related MDMA empathogens and even a wider range of compounds and mixtures - stimulants of the nervous system. An inert or harmless compound will be used as the tablet filler. Lactose is a common choice for the amateur, but calcium phosphate/chloride, sucrose, corn starch, or cellulose could also be used, among other things. Sometimes a mixture of filler and MDMA is just pressed into a pill (gives a crumbly pill), other times a compound like povidone is added to hold the pill together. Many manufactures add other compounds to the pill, for instance caffeine.
MDEA and MDA are two drugs which are quite similar to MDMA, and many people cannot tell the difference between them. MDEA is frequently found in pills sold as ecstasy, either on its own or mixed with MDMA. It lasts a slightly shorter time than MDMA, while MDA lasts a longer time and has a more speedy edge. Both drugs lack the empathic qualities of MDMA, which is why MDMA is generally preferred. Some pills marketed as "ecstasy" do not contain MDMA at all, and it is quite common to find pills containing other entactogen empathogens (MDA, MDEA, and others), as well as, in addition or instead of them, para-methoxyamphetamine (PMA), methamphetamine, caffeine, ephedrine, dextromethorphan, ketamine or, since the beginning of the 21st century, piperazines (BZP, TFMPP and others), sometimes liquid ecstasy is also called GHB.
Pills sold as ecstasy might contain other psychoactive substances, commonly amphetamine (speed). LSD (acid) has been found on occasions in a few pills. 2-CB has appeared in 'ecstasy', but is, more often, sold under its own name. Caffeine is frequently found in fake ecstasy. Aspirin and other over-the-counter or prescribed medications have been found mixed in pills, or simply passed off as ecstasy. Here you can see the results of a drug test, in particular on the composition of ecstasy.
MDEA and MDA are two drugs which are quite similar to MDMA, and many people cannot tell the difference between them. MDEA is frequently found in pills sold as ecstasy, either on its own or mixed with MDMA. It lasts a slightly shorter time than MDMA, while MDA lasts a longer time and has a more speedy edge. Both drugs lack the empathic qualities of MDMA, which is why MDMA is generally preferred. Some pills marketed as "ecstasy" do not contain MDMA at all, and it is quite common to find pills containing other entactogen empathogens (MDA, MDEA, and others), as well as, in addition or instead of them, para-methoxyamphetamine (PMA), methamphetamine, caffeine, ephedrine, dextromethorphan, ketamine or, since the beginning of the 21st century, piperazines (BZP, TFMPP and others), sometimes liquid ecstasy is also called GHB.
Pills sold as ecstasy might contain other psychoactive substances, commonly amphetamine (speed). LSD (acid) has been found on occasions in a few pills. 2-CB has appeared in 'ecstasy', but is, more often, sold under its own name. Caffeine is frequently found in fake ecstasy. Aspirin and other over-the-counter or prescribed medications have been found mixed in pills, or simply passed off as ecstasy. Here you can see the results of a drug test, in particular on the composition of ecstasy.
Examples of ecstasy
Ecstasy comes in many different shapes and sizes of tablets.Algorithm of procedures
1. Firstly, you have to divide MDMA from tablet fillers. They take up from 20 to 80% of the tablet. MDMA (hydrochloride, as this is the only form found in the streets) is almost insoluble in acetone. Some impurities may be soluble in acetone, therefore an acetone wash can be used to clean ecstasy to some extent. A procedure for acetone wash can be found here.
This procedure is very important for the identification of phenylethylamines and substances with similar solubility in acetone (cathinones) through further experiments. These substances can be admixtured to your ecstasy pills, as I said earlier.
2. Secondly, check your extracted product for the presence of other drugs by LF tests (drug testing kits). You will receive clear result about your substance and admixtured narcotic substance (if it takes place to be) and these tests help to choose next step.
This procedure is very important for the identification of phenylethylamines and substances with similar solubility in acetone (cathinones) through further experiments. These substances can be admixtured to your ecstasy pills, as I said earlier.
2. Secondly, check your extracted product for the presence of other drugs by LF tests (drug testing kits). You will receive clear result about your substance and admixtured narcotic substance (if it takes place to be) and these tests help to choose next step.
Most number of medical drugs as aspirin, piracetam, caffeine, acetaminophen and so on will be removed after acetone purification. Hence, you do not need to provide sequence of experiments to determine them. Nevertheless, you have to use special test kit which contains MDMA stripe. Amphetamine stripe also can show positive result. Although you will have AMP for pure MDMA, you will have phenylethylamine(s) (amphetamine, PMA, 2-CB, methamphetamine etc.) as adulterant(s) and this test kit will not reveal this.
3. You did not find any pollutants, and you still doubt in your MDMA sample or LF tests reveal admixtured narcotic substance, lead experiments with test reagents. Use «Drugs testing reagents». These methods help to determine kind of admixtures. There are manuals, which are described checking method procedures and meaning, where you can find methods of reagent synthesis. According to data from testing reagent experiments, you may compare and approve result by TLC.
For instance, you have received test result with Marquis reagent which gave purple to black and Mecke reagent which gave dark green/turquoise to dark blue/black color. It approves that it is, probably, pure MDMA. If you add few drops of Marquis reagent and the color of the drops changes to yellowish it, usually means that you have MDPV/MDPHP/3-MMC/a-PVP in your sample. In this case, LF test (step 2) shows methcathinone (mephedrone) in the sample.
Take TLC plate, polluted sample of MDMA, real pure MDMA and clear a-PVP/MDPV/3-MMC/MDPHP (if you have), make spots of substances and elute them, count Rf and compare results with the literature data. If your sample spot will split in two or more parts after eluting, which will have same level as a-PVP/MDPV/MDPHP/3-MMC and clear MDMA, it means that your sample has a-PVP/MDPV/MDPHP/3-MMC contamination(s). If your sample does not have spot in real MDMA level, it means that you have a-PVP/MDPV/MDPHP/3-MMC with something as MDMA, substance with similar physical and organoleptic properties, or you have completely substituted narcotic product.
Quite frequently you may get yellowish-orange color test result with Marquis reagent, which approve that the sample containing amphetamine/methamphetamine/MDAI. You may also repeat TLC experiment with these drugs of abuse and figure out exactly.
3. You did not find any pollutants, and you still doubt in your MDMA sample or LF tests reveal admixtured narcotic substance, lead experiments with test reagents. Use «Drugs testing reagents». These methods help to determine kind of admixtures. There are manuals, which are described checking method procedures and meaning, where you can find methods of reagent synthesis. According to data from testing reagent experiments, you may compare and approve result by TLC.
For instance, you have received test result with Marquis reagent which gave purple to black and Mecke reagent which gave dark green/turquoise to dark blue/black color. It approves that it is, probably, pure MDMA. If you add few drops of Marquis reagent and the color of the drops changes to yellowish it, usually means that you have MDPV/MDPHP/3-MMC/a-PVP in your sample. In this case, LF test (step 2) shows methcathinone (mephedrone) in the sample.
Take TLC plate, polluted sample of MDMA, real pure MDMA and clear a-PVP/MDPV/3-MMC/MDPHP (if you have), make spots of substances and elute them, count Rf and compare results with the literature data. If your sample spot will split in two or more parts after eluting, which will have same level as a-PVP/MDPV/MDPHP/3-MMC and clear MDMA, it means that your sample has a-PVP/MDPV/MDPHP/3-MMC contamination(s). If your sample does not have spot in real MDMA level, it means that you have a-PVP/MDPV/MDPHP/3-MMC with something as MDMA, substance with similar physical and organoleptic properties, or you have completely substituted narcotic product.
Quite frequently you may get yellowish-orange color test result with Marquis reagent, which approve that the sample containing amphetamine/methamphetamine/MDAI. You may also repeat TLC experiment with these drugs of abuse and figure out exactly.
Conclusion
Melting point verification can be added to the second step to confirm quality compliance and to determine the degree of impurity content. This manual allows identifying degree of impurity level, determinate contamination substances and approve results by different methods. Although the MDMA/ecstasy purification method allow dividing most number of contaminations, this method, unfortunately, cannot divide some phenylethylamine-containing substances from MAMA due to similar molecule structure. TLC and LF test within tandem of Test reagent checking can help to determine most number of substances, but the gold standard is GC-MS analysis, which allow establishing the composition exactly.
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