This finding indicates that the residual solvent profile may be more applicable than the corresponding alkaloid profile when cocaine seizures subjected to different storage conditions are compared. In contrast, no changes were observed in the residual solvent profile at all storage conditions for the entire 12-month study period. The most significant change was observed in low purity samples stored at 37 ☌. The sample purity (p < 0.001), time of storage (p < 0.001) and storage temperature at 37 ☌ (p < 0.01) significantly influenced the alkaloid impurity profile. In the present study, the stability of both the alkaloid and the residual solvent impurity profiles of cocaine were evaluated over a period of 12 months under different storage conditions (temperature, purity and weight) using GC-MS and HS-GC-MS, respectively. Such profile changes may eventually result in erroneous forensic evaluations.
Qualitative and quantitative data corresponding to the residual solvents in the prepared cocaine hydrochloride bricks are presented.ĭuring the lifetime of a cocaine batch from production end to consumption, several alterations may occur, leading to possible changes in the original impurity profile. All solvents used in the conversion process were easily detected in the bricks even after extensive irradiation, confirming that occluded solvents are extremely resistant to removal by microwave heating. Residual solvents were qualitatively and quantitatively monitored before, during, and following the microwaving step by static headspace-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Nine 1-kilogram-sized batches of cocaine hydrochloride were prepared from cocaine base using a variety of solvents or solvent mixtures commonly utilized in clandestine laboratories, pressed into bricks, and submitted to microwave heating. This study addresses the effects this step has on the occluded solvents present in newly prepared cocaine hydrochloride. Which just goes to show, if you think you know all the consequences of your decisions today, you’re probably wrong.The current clandestine methodology for the manufacture of illicit cocaine hydrochloride utilizes microwave heating in order to dry the finished product. N entire underground industry was forced to switch from measuring cups purchased at Walmart to test tubes and beakers stolen from labs. This, points out the Popular Science article, had a substantial impact on crack production: For years, Pyrex measuring cups, manufactured by Corning, were a key component of the underground crack industry.īut Corning sold Pyrex in 1998 to World Kitchen, which altered the makeup of the Pyrex material, making it less resistant to temperature changes and more prone to shattering. The process of cooking powder cocaine into hardened crack is intense, and involves a container of water undergoing a rapid temperature change. It turns out that people making crack cocaine valued this quality too. Pyrex is valued by cooks for its sturdiness in the kitchen, particularly its ability to withstand rapid, dramatic temperature changes that typically shatter normal glassware. There’s an interesting article in Popular Science about Pyrex bake ware, crack cocaine, and the unintended consequences of reducing a product’s quality. We’ve written a lot about the economics of drugs, both legal and illegal.