Category
Poster - Basic
Description
An adulterant is an additive commonly found in the illicit drug trade. These adulterants are used to bulk up the drug supply and increase the potency of the drug. Adulterants can be many compounds, from chemicals to poisons. Sugars, prescription medications, metals, and even pesticides can be used for this purpose (1). An over-the-counter drug can also be used as an adulterant. A common practice is to dissolve this drug in hydrochloric acid and allow it to recrystallize. The recrystallized version becomes a hydrochloride salt form of the adulterant. This new form has an increased molecule size and water solubility. Increasing the water solubility will increase the drug’s ability to enter the body system and decrease the amount of time required to experience the effect of the drug. In this study, four over-the-counter drugs were chosen for experiment and analysis: caffeine, ibuprofen, quinine, and acetaminophen. These were each dissolved in different volumes of 1M hydrochloric acid and were allowed time to recrystallize. The crystals were then analyzed using various methods such as IR, SEM, melting point, and water solubility.
Synthesis and Analysis of Hydrochloride Salts Used as Adulterants
Poster - Basic
An adulterant is an additive commonly found in the illicit drug trade. These adulterants are used to bulk up the drug supply and increase the potency of the drug. Adulterants can be many compounds, from chemicals to poisons. Sugars, prescription medications, metals, and even pesticides can be used for this purpose (1). An over-the-counter drug can also be used as an adulterant. A common practice is to dissolve this drug in hydrochloric acid and allow it to recrystallize. The recrystallized version becomes a hydrochloride salt form of the adulterant. This new form has an increased molecule size and water solubility. Increasing the water solubility will increase the drug’s ability to enter the body system and decrease the amount of time required to experience the effect of the drug. In this study, four over-the-counter drugs were chosen for experiment and analysis: caffeine, ibuprofen, quinine, and acetaminophen. These were each dissolved in different volumes of 1M hydrochloric acid and were allowed time to recrystallize. The crystals were then analyzed using various methods such as IR, SEM, melting point, and water solubility.
Comments
Undergraduate