FI1: How to make crystalline methylamphetamine (ICE) by Vox Populii
Freedom Issue 1, December 24, 1992
File 5/7
How to make crystalline methylamphetamine (ICE)
by Vox Populii
Disclaimer
I'm a firm believer in the concept of evolution and natural selection; basically, the strong survive and the weak get shit upon. I also believe that reality tends to punish those who are stupid. If you DON'T thoroughly understand working with ALL of these concepts, please don't try this...well, if you kill yourself, the IQ of the average human being will be that much greater.
Forward We Go
Materials: 95-100% ethanol, Sodium Borohydride, 250 ml round bottom glass flask, reflux condenser, rubber tubing, Sudafed nasal decongestant capsules ( VERY IMPORTANT ), glass extraction funnel, 1 molar Sodium Hydroxide, anhydrous Sodium Sulfate, diethyl ether, Safety goggles(!!!!), Safety shield ( plexiglass...1-2" thick ), Safety apron and gloves. It's also advisable to have a dry chemical fire extinguisher available at all times. Blue and red litmus paper, and about a litre of saturated salt solution (1 gram per 23 mls).
Where do I get all this shit? Steal it from your high school, or buy it at a laboratory supply house (none of these materials are prohibited or restricted in any way!)
Why make this stuff?: Because it's an illegal drug. You can get really wacked on the stuff if you're stupid enough to use it. It's probably quite fun if you're into death and that kinda shit.
Theory: You will perform a catalytic dehydrogenolysis on pseudoephedrine, converting it into methylamphetamine (speed, ice, or glass are common names).
C-----C
// \\
C CH2-CHCH3
\ _____ / |
C-----C NH2
Structure of synthesis: This procedure is broken up into two parts;
- the production and purification of pseudoephedrine free base.
- the production and purification of methylamphetamine free base.
The production and purification of pseudoepehdrine free base
Buy sudafed capsules; the more the merrier!
Method: Take 10 sudafed capsules apart, and place the little round granules into a clean dish. These granules contain the pseudoephedrine hydrochloride and inorganic filler. Crush the granules until they are no more than a very fine powder. I suggest using the 100 milligram capsules at this point. Approximate end yield will be roughly 1 gram of product.
Place 100 mls of room temperature water into the extraction funnel, and CAREFULLY add all of the powder into the funnel. Place a cap on the funnel, invert, and open the stopcock. MAKE SURE YOU ARE WEARING YOUR SAFETY GOGGLES AT THIS POINT! Swirl the funnel around to dissolve the material. There will be a significant amount of undissolved white powder; do not be concerned, this is inorganic filler. After 10 mins of shaking, dip a glass rod into the liquid and touch the drop on the tip of the stirring rod to a piece of moist BLUE litmus paper. The litmus paper should turn red where it has been touched. This means that the solution is acidic, and that a significant proportion of the pseudoephedrine hydrochloride has in fact dissolved in the water. If the litmus paper has turned red, you can go on to the next step. If not, repeat he shaking 5 more minutes until the litmus paper does turn red.
Add 50 mls of diethyl ether to the separation funnel. BE VERY CAREFUL AT THIS STAGE. MAKE SURE YOU ARE WORKING IN A WELL VENTILATED AREA AND PLEASE DON'T DO SOMETHING FUCKING STUPID LIKE SMOKE CIGARETTES OR YOU DESERVE WHAT WILL HAPPEN! YOU DESERVE TO GET LUNG CANCER OR HAVE YOUR FUCKING FACE BLOWN OFF! The diethyl ether is less dense than the water solution and will float on top. Add 10 mls of the 1 molar sodium hydroxide, cap the funnel, invert and IMMEDIATELY release the stopcock to vent off the gas that forms. Point the end of the funnel AWAY from your eyes! Periodically swirl and vent the funnel to release any gas. When no more gas is given off after venting, draw off a little of the liquid from the lower layer into a thimble. Test it with a piece of moist RED litmus paper. If it stays red, add 10 more mls of the sodium hydroxide solution, invert funnel, swirl and vent until no more gas is given off. Repeat this UNTIL the red litmus paper turns blue. At this stage, the water solution is basic, the pseudoephedrine hydrochloride is in the free base form, and is located entirely within the diethyl ether layer.
Draw off the lower water layer and discard it. Pour off the ether layer into a beaker with 10 grams of anhydrous sodium sulfate. The sodium sulfate is a drying agent and will remove most of the water that is in the ether solution (very little really since ether is non polar and water is very polar). Cap the beaker with a piece of saran wrap and let it sit in a well ventilated COOL area overnight (not the fridge). Don't smoke within 2 miles of this. Ether is FLAMMABLE and forms EXPLOSIVE peroxides which tend to spontaneously detonate.
Decant off the ether into a dry round bottom flask. Heat this flask over a pot of very hot water. This will take only a few minutes to evaporate. You will be left with a clear syrupy liquid that looks like childrens tylenol drops. This is the pure pseudoephedrine free base. If you have a death wish, you can try some now (scoop it up with a spoon, a toothpick, etc). Swallow it, or put it on a cigarette and smoke it. I don't care. You're stupid if you do.
Production of methylamphetamine free base
Add the 95% ethanol or everclear drop by drop until the sludge is dissolved. It should go into solution very easily. I doubt it if many people will be able to get 100% ethanol, but the purer the better, since trace amounts of water inhibit the next step in the preparation.
Total volume should not exceed 50 mls at this point. You can make the solution up to 50 mls if you wish. VERY carefully add 1 gram of sodium borohydride to the solution, add the relux condensor to the top of the round bottom flask, and start to boil the mixture (eg, on a hot plate...NOT on an open flame. The cold water going thru the reflux condensor will keep the ethanol from evaporating, yet the high temperature of the reaction vessel will allow the reaction to go forward as desired. Let this go for about 4 hours. Take away from the hot plate and let cool slowly to room temperature.
AFTER the solution has cooled to room temperature, add 50 mls of saturated salt solution. At this point, you should see little oil drops floating on the surface of the liquid. This is methylamphetamine. Add 50 mls of diethyl ether to the COOLED flask( room temperature is ok ). Transfer the contents to a separatory funnel, cap, invert, and IMMEDIATELY open the stopcock. Some gas will escape. Close the stopcock, gently swirl, and open to vent off and gas. Repeat until no more pressure developes after 5-10 seconds of gentle agitation.
Draw off the lower layer and set aside for a moment. Drain the upper ether layer into a beaker containing 10 grams of sodium sulfate. Add the layer that you had set aside BACK to the separatory funnel, and add another 50 mls of ether. Cap, invert, vent, etc until NO more pressure developes. Drain off the lower water layer and discard. Drain the ether layer into the beaker with the first portion of ether. Cover this with saran wrap and let sit over nite.
Decant the ether solution into a clean beaker and gently heat this over very hot water. As the ether evaporates( please use good ventilation ), you will be left with a beige sludge. This beige sludge is methylamphetamine. You can do two things at this stage; i) Prepare 'glass' for smoking or freebasing (very fucking stupid), or prepare crystal meth for shooting up (very very fucking stupid).
- i) if you want to prepare solid ice, stick the beaker in the freezer, and hope that crystal formation starts. If it doesn't, take 5 or 6 chemistry course and you'll learn where you fucked up.
- ii) if you want to prepare `crystal' for shooting up, dissolve the beige ice in about 10 mls of anhydrous (very dry) diethyl ether. Add ethereal HCL drop by drop. After each drop, you'll see a little white suspension form. This is methylamphetamine hydrochloride. Add ethereal HCL until no more white powder forms. You could then decant off any ether, and let the powder dry on tinfoil or whatever. This should be 90% pure.
Reliability of this synthetic method: It works, and in a lab, you can go from starting material to finished product in about 8 hours IF you know what you're doing (and you probably don't). To the best of my knowledge, this has never been published, but the general reaction scheme of catalytic hydrogenolysis is well documented. At ALL stages, glassware should be kept very dry.
