# Ephedrine extraction from pills methods



## G.Patton

*Introduction*​It is totally OTC and uses activated carbon as a cleaning aide while exploiting characteristics of VM&P naphtha. *Average yield is 60 %* of very clean free base.​
*Definitions *
In this write-up will be used the phrase "for every box of pills used". This stands for every box of 48 x 60 mg, or 96 x 30 mg, or 20 x 120 mg. In addition, the phrase "for every gram of total pill mass" will be used. This stands for the total weight of the pills before grinding.​
*Method 1*​*Equipment and glassware:*​
One beaker or other heatproof glassware (approximately 100 mL for every box of pills used)
One erlenmeyer flask or other heatproof glassware (approximately 100 mL for every box of pills used)
One graduated cylinder 100-200 mL or other liquid measuring device in mL
One pyrex pie plate (2 if more than 5 boxes are used)
Two 5" glass funnels or plastic fuel funnels
One 5" wire mesh kitchen strainer (dollar store type)
One 5 mL baby medicine dropper
Charmin bath tissue (reg no scent)
Glass stirring rod or bamboo skewers
Clean coffee grinder
Hot plate
Small fan
Small-scale weighing in grams
Safety glasses, latex gloves
*Reagents:*

Activated carbon, research grade (pets fart store)
Corn starch (supermarket)
Dry acetone - CH3COCH3 (dried with baked sodium carbonate)
Sodium carbonate - Na2CO3 (washing soda)
Sodium chloride - NaCl (salt)
Sodium hydroxide - NaOH (lye)
VM&P naphtha - no substitutions (paint store), do Not use colemans, pet ether, lighter fluid, etc.
*Optional Materials:*
Gassing setup if HCl salt is desired outcome
*Abstract of Procedure:*​
Combine Pills with activated carbon, NaCl, NaOH and Na2CO3.
Grind to a fine powder and sift through strainer.
Stir in acetone.
Add a trace amount of water.
Mix until paste.
Add corn starch.
Mix until consistency of damp potting soil.
Dry completely.
Add naphtha.
Heat to boiling while stirring.
Filter thru Charmin filter.
Repeat two times
Freeze filtrate.
Filter out crystals.
Convert to salt form if desired.
*Procedure*​*1)* Weigh pills and record total weight.

*2)* Place pills into a clean coffee grinder.

*3)* For every box of pills used, add:
- 2 g of washing soda​- 2 g of salt
- 4 g of activated carbon
- 4 g sodium hydroxide

What if it all won't fit in the coffee grinder. Process about 3 - 4 boxes at a time.​Why am I adding salt? To attract water and to act as an abrasive to aid in grinding.
Why am I adding washing soda? To act as a buffering agent.

After grinding, the mixture becomes hot and doesn't sift well? Carbon sold for aquarium filtration may contain excess moisture. The moisture content will be apparent when the carbon is ground. Moist carbon will tend to cake on the side of the grinder, and will feel moist. If the carbon is moist, dry it before use by heating in an oven or microwave. Take precautions handling the heated carbon to avoid burns. Allow the carbon to cool before grinding or combining with other ingredients. Store any unused dried carbon in an airtight container.

*4)* Grind the mixture to a fine powder. It is important that we grind the mixture as fine and uniformly as possible, about the consistency of coarse flour.

*5)* Sift the mixture into the beaker using a wire mesh strainer placed inside a large funnel to minimize dusting. When grinding and sifting, be careful with vents, fans and open windows, so your pseudo doesn't blow away as dust. You also don't want to inhale NaOH or carbon dust. Let the dust settle in the coffee grinder before opening the lid.

*6)* For every gram of total pill mass, add:​- 1.5 mL dry acetone

This measurement will get you in the ballpark. We want the mixture to be a liquid at this point, not a paste. Add more acetone in small increments, as the mixture will go from stiff to fluid very quickly. Acetone used for this purpose should be dried before use, as the moisture content of acetone can vary over such a wide range that the only way to obtain consistent results it to dry the acetone before use.

*7)* For every box of pills used add, while stirring:​- 3 drops distilled H2O (use the baby medicine dropper)

Why are we using dry acetone and then adding water? Since the amount of moisture present is critical for proper basing, and the water content of non-dried acetone is widely variable, the only way to accurately control the moisture available for basing is to dry the acetone first, then add a measured amount of water.

*8)* Stir with a glass rod for about 3 to 4 minutes. The mixture will slowly thicken to a wet paste.

*9)* For every box of pills used, add:​- 1.0 g corn starch

*10)* Stir for a few minutes. The mixture will become very stiff and the consistency of damp potting soil, with no signs of visible liquid. Add more cornstarch in very small increments if necessary.

Why the cornstarch? The cornstarch is a great absorbent and helps to dry our mixture fast. When drying the cornstarch will keep our mixture from turning into hard little rocks and when powdered again keeps the mixture free flowing. It also will help absorb waxy gak when we extract our free base.

*11)* Spread out the mixture on the pie plate(s) and let dry completely. It will dry fast because the carbon has increased the surface area of our mixture.

*12)* When completely dry sift the mixture back into the beaker using the wire mesh strainer placed inside a large funnel.

*13)* For every box of pills used, add:​- 35 mL Naphtha

*14)* Mix well. Then place the beaker on the hot plate set to med high heat. With constant gentle stirring, heat the mixture until boiling. Turn heat off and continue to stir for 1 minute. Remove from hot plate and set aside to let the solids settle out for a few minutes.

Isn't boiling naphtha dangerous? Boiling any flammable solvent is an extremely dangerous practice. Solvents should not be heated over an open flame or on any apparatus that is capable of producing a spark. This includes defective or damaged electric hot plates. Adequate ventilation is required. This should not be done in a closed environment due to risk of explosion and/or fire and due to health concerns regarding inhalation of solvent fumes. The constant use of a fan positioned to blow across the solvent will disburse the vapor, reduce the risk of fire and explosion.

*15)* While waiting, make a Charmin filter. Take 4 plys of Charmin and fold three times to make a square. Fold that over once and then once again to make a quarter square. Completely wet the square with some clean naphtha using the medicine dropper and place the pad into the bottom of the funnel across the neck. The Charmin should not be "packed" or "compressed". Gently mold the edges around the contour of the funnel bottom. Wet it again with naphtha and place this filter-funnel into the Erlenmeyer flask.

*16)* Slowly decant the naphtha into the funnel in small amounts and allow it to filter through the Charmin into the flask. Don't pour in more than can pass through the Charmin in more or less real time. If you make a big puddle it may start to crystallize in the funnel, clogging the filter. The filtered naphtha should be crystal clear. Free base crystals will start to form in the filtrate. Set the flask aside.

*17)* For every box of pills used, add:​- 20 mL Naphtha

*18)* Mix well. Then place the beaker on the hot plate set to med high heat. With constant gentle stirring, heat the mixture until boiling. Turn heat off and continue to stir for 1 minute. Remove from hot plate and set aside to let the solids settle out for a minute.

*19)* Slowly decant the naphtha into the same filter-funnel in small amounts and allow it to filter through the Charmin into the flask, combining filtrates. Don't pour in more than can pass through the Charmin in more or less real time. Do not replace the Charmin, continue to re-use the same pad.

*20)* For every box of pills used add:​- 10 mL Naphtha

*21)* Mix well. Then place the beaker on the hot plate set to med high heat. With constant gentle stirring, heat the mixture until boiling. Turn heat off and continue to stir for 1 minute. Remove from hot plate.

*22)* Slowly decant the naphtha into the same filter-funnel in small amounts and allow it to filter through the Charmin into the flask, combining filtrates. Then empty the entire contents of the beaker into the filter funnel and let drain.

*23)* While draining, boil a small amount of naphtha, about 5 mL for every box of pills used. When all the liquid appears to have drained through, pour the boiling naphtha over the filter cake and let it drain again. Then take a large spoon and press down on top of filter cake, squeezing any remaining naphtha into the flask.

Should I do a fourth pull? You can try but tests have shown it's usually not enough gain to justify the effort. Only do additional pulls if the end result is less than 45 %.

*24)* Place the Erlenmeyer flask with the combined filtrate on the hot plate set to med high. Heat to boiling or until all crystals have re-dissolved. Pour the hot filtrate into clean pie plate(s).

*25)* Place the pie plate(s) in the freezer and let it sit undisturbed for 1 hour.

*26)* Remove the pie plate(s) from the freezer and pour off the used naphtha, filtering out free base crystals using a coffee filter. Let the collected free base crystals dry. Some crystals may adhere to the pie plate. Let them dry before removing.

*27)* After filtering crystals out, return the used naphtha to the beaker. Return all filtered solids, including the Charmin filter, to the beaker. Break solids up with a glass rod and mix well. Return to hot plate on med high heat. With constant gentle stirring, bring the used mixture back to boiling. Let boil for 1 minute. Turn heat off but leave beaker on hot plate. Make a new Charmin filter as per previous step 15. Filter liquid first, then add remaining solids to funnel to drain. Then take a large spoon and press down on top of rhe filter cake, squeezing any remaining naphtha into the flask. Place into freezer again for at least 30 minutes. You can assemble a few extra percent. It helped recover one botched batch that would've been poor otherwise.

*28)* The remaining naphtha does contain some additional pseudoephedrine free base. You may wash the naphtha thoroughly with warm distilled water and titrate to obtain the remaining pseudoephedrine in HCL form. This pseudoephedrine HCL will not be as clean as the free base, and will need to be rinsed with acetone, then recrystallized twice before being added to a reaction. The use of this pseudoephedrine with the free base is not recommended. This pseudoephedrine HCl can be accumulated until the quantity is sufficient to react by itself.

*29)* If the HCl salt is the desired outcome, redissolve the free base crystals in to a nonpolar and gas accordingly. Do Not gas the original Naphtha. If you gas the original naphtha, you will pick up unwanted contaminants. You may alternatively move the free base crystals into a small quantity of distilled H2O, and add HCl drop wise with stirring until the free base crystals all dissolve. Evaporate over low heat until this alligators over, then flash with dry acetone. Filter the acetone and pseudoehphedrine HCl through a coffee filter, rinse with acetone, allow drying.​*Calculating Yield *​When calculating your yield, remember to adjust for free base. Pseudo HCl is about 202 g per mole and pseudo free base is about 166 g per mole. So 166 divided by 202 is a ratio of 0.82 So, potential yield from 1 box of 120's would be 20 x 120 x 0.82 = 1.9 g free base vs 2.4 g for pseudo HCl.​*Advantages and Disadvantages*​The technique should be, in the near future, virtually universal. It should successfully extract most pseudoephedrine pills. The materials are easily available and draw less attention than xylene and tolulene purchases. Yields should range in the sixty percent range. The pseudoephedrine so obtained will be very clean-characteristic of A/B extractions of pseudoephedrine. The main disadvantage is heating a flammable solvent.​Time​You can run it in about 3 hours start to finish, 4 hours with the fourth pull. The first few times I would allow 5 hours to be safe until you get the feel of it. Each box of pills used has the potential of 1.9 g of free base. This is equivalent to 2.4 g of the HCL salt.
The average chemist with fair lab skills should be able to consistently achieve 1 gram of super clean free base per box, or 52%.
The experienced chemist with good lab skills should be able to consistently achieve 1.2 g of super clean free base per box or 63 - 65% seems to be the wall in its current form, but we're working on a few solutions.

Crystallization can take two different forms
*The fast way:* Placing the hot naphtha immediately in the freezer with no cool down will generally produce fine snow like crystals.​


​*If you're not in a hurry:* let the naphtha cool to about room temperature before placing into the freezer, and you will generally get large sparkling beauties like these.



*Method 2*​*Summary*​A new twist for producing clean pseudo HCl in high yields from an ever-changing array of pills. It's not only water less like in method above, it's simpler with no A/B at all. It's Method 2 or straight to the extraction. It is a simple extraction method that will bypass most of today’s modern adulterants and will return a very high yield of clean pseudo HCl. This can then be recrystallized or turned into free base to produce a pristine product. This method was written to be easily scalable and is very over the counter. Average *yields have been 80 % to 90 %* of clean pseudo HCl.
*Equipment and glassware:*​
Three beakers or other heatproof glassware containers (approximately 200ml for every box of pills used)
One elemeyer flask or other heatproof glassware container (approximately 200ml for every box of pills used)
One graduated cylinder 100 -200 mL or other liquid measuring device in mLs
Two 5" glass funnels or plastic fuel funnels
Filter Paper or coffee filters
Glass stirring rod or bamboo skewers
Hot plate
Small fan
Small-scale weighing in grams
Safety glasses, latex gloves
Thermometer that is scaled to at least 120°C
*Reagents:*​
91- 99% Isopropyl Alcohol (drug store)
MEK Methyl Ethyl Ketone (paint / hardware store)
VM&P Naphtha - no substitutions (paint / hardware store)
(Do Not use Colemans, pet ether, lighter fluid, etc.)
Xylene (paint / hardware store)
*Drying Aids:*​
Oven dried Epsom Salts or Washing Soda (drug / food store)
Salt (food store)
Abstract of Procedure​
Make extraction fluid.
Place whole pills into beaker.
Add extraction fluid.
Heat to boiling, stirring until pills dissolve.
Filter while hot into elemeyer flask.
Repeat two times.
Return combined extractions to clean beaker.
Add Xylene
Heat to 105 °C to boil off alcohol.
Filter out pseudo HCl.
Wash pseudo HCl with MEK and let dry.

*Procedure*
*1)* For every box of pills used: combine the following solvents and drying materials in a clean beaker and in the following order:
70 mL Isopropyl Alcohol
70 mL VM&P Naphtha
2 g of salt
4 g of dried epsom salts or dried washing soda

*2)* Stir with a glass rod for a few minutes, then let settle for 10 minutes. Depending on how much water was in the isopropyl alcohol to start with, the mixture will settle into 2 layers or 1 layer with damp solids at the bottom.

Why not use pre dried solvents to begin with? - that is perfectly ok if you have them, but I have noticed that adding the isopropyl and naphtha together almost always releases some water, no matter how dry they were ahead of time, so I would not skip this step.

*3)* Filter this into the elemeyer flask leaving any solids or bottom liquid layer behind and then transfer this solution into the second clean beaker.

*4)* Place whole pills in the third clean beaker.

Why whole pills? Don’t I need to grind them up first? - no, we are trying to keep loss to a minimum and grinding is not necessary as the isopropyl / naphtha mixture will dissolve them very well.

*5)* Pour 1/3 solvent mixture over pills.

*6)* Place the beaker on the hotplate and bring to a boil using medium hi heat. Use the small fan to keep vapors from accumulating. Stir occasionally with a glass rod until pills have dissolved into powder. Let boil for 1-2 minutes.

*7)* Place a funnel with filter paper in the elemeyer flask. Filter the solvent mixture while hot, leaving as much of the solids in the beaker as possible.

*8)* Return any solids to the beaker and repeat steps 5 through 7 two times, combining the extractions in the elemeyer flask.

*9)* For every box of pills used, add to the combined extractions:​- 50 mL Xylene

*10)* Transfer the extraction mixture back to the empty solvent beaker and place the beaker on the hotplate. Bring to a boil using the small fan to keep vapors from accumulating. Boil until the solution reaches 105 °C.

*11)* Using a clean funnel and filter, paper filter off the pseudo HCl while the solution is hot.

*12)* Rinse the pseudo HCl with a generous amount of MEK while in the funnel.

*13)* Remove filter and filter cake from funnel and allow to dry completely. (no more MEK smell)

*14)* Weight and enjoy, *yield should be between 80 % to 90 % Introduction*​


> *Methamphetamine from ephedrine tablets*​*Ephedrine extraction from plants
> L-Ephedrine synthesis from L-phenylacetylcarbinol (L-PAC)
> dl-Ephedrine synthesis from 1-Phenyl-1,2-propandion
> Synthesis of ephedrine from propiophenone*


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## ralralro

I wonder that I need 100% xylene or is it okay to just use the paint shop xylene?


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## G.Patton

ralralro said:


> I wonder that I need 100% xylene or is it okay to just use the paint shop xylene?



ralralroHi. It depends on composition of paint shop xylene


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## diogenes

Hi, I have found an over the counter product containing Pseudo + Ibuprofen in a gel capsule. First it seemed easy to extract as the substances are already in solution, Ibuprofen is only soluble in water when basis, so the opposite of pseudo. When I looked at the detailed ingredients, however, it turned out that the liquid inside the capsule contains Macrogol 600, a form of PEG (Polyethyleneglycol), which seems to be a bitch to get rid of. The only idea I have now is that PEG is poorly soluble in ether, so I could add some ether to the liquid squeezed out of the capsules, then some KOH or NaOH so that the pseudo can walk over to the ether. As PEG is not completely insoluble in ether this would need to be repeated I guess.

My questions:
Do you think this would work? Or do you know a better method?

Would any of the above methods work and get rid of the PEG?

Thank you.


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## G.Patton

diogenes said:


> Hi, I have found an over the counter product containing Pseudo + Ibuprofen in a gel capsule. First it seemed easy to extract as the substances are already in solution, Ibuprofen is only soluble in water when basis, so the opposite of pseudo. When I looked at the detailed ingredients, however, it turned out that the liquid inside the capsule contains Macrogol 600, a form of PEG (Polyethyleneglycol), which seems to be a bitch to get rid of. The only idea I have now is that PEG is poorly soluble in ether, so I could add some ether to the liquid squeezed out of the capsules, then some KOH or NaOH so that the pseudo can walk over to the ether. As PEG is not completely insoluble in ether this would need to be repeated I guess.
> 
> My questions:
> Do you think this would work? Or do you know a better method?
> 
> Would any of the above methods work and get rid of the PEG?
> 
> Thank you.



diogenesSeparating ibuprofen from pseudoephedrine should be fairly simple, as ibuprofen is a carboxylic acid whereas pseudoephedrine is an amine. The pseudoephedrine will be water-soluble in acidic water, while the ibuprofen will not. If the pka of ibuprofen is between 4-5, you'll want a rather acidic solution to convert most of it to its free acid form; a pH of 3 should do nicely. This low pH can be achieved easily with hydrochloric (muriatic acid). Polyethylene glycol is water-soluble polymer, you can extract pseudo from water with help of ether or petroleum ether.


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## diogenes

There is link above to an Erowid page where a water free extraction is described which can be used when a medication contains PEG. It recommends to start with a non-polar solvent such as Xylene or Toluene and soak the powder for at least 6 hours (for PEG), I guess in this time the PEG dissolves in the non-polar as well? My problem is that my starting capsule is filled with a liquid containing a slightly basic solution of PEG, water, KOH, Ibuprofen and Pseudo. I have added some toluene, and tried drying with some 3A molecular sieves, then added some diluted HCl to neutralise the KOH and make sure the pseudo is not in the Toluene layer which is meant to be discarded with the PEG dissolved.

When the HCl was added something precipitated this could have been the Ibuprofen. I removed the water layer and the precipitate. This is where I am at now. My concern is that with this method there could be some PEG in the water layer if PEG migrated due to its higher solubility in water.


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## G.Patton

diogenes said:


> I guess in this time the PEG dissolves in the non-polar as well?



diogenesDid you understand what I wrote to you above? You can try to dissolve this solution in water and divide from PEG by alkaline extraction. You will get toluene (or another appropriate solvent) with PseudoE free base). Then, acid extraction to divide PseiudoE from Ibuprofen.


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## diogenes

G.Patton said:


> <Did you understand what I wrote to you above? You can try to dissolve this solution in water and divide from PEG by alkaline extraction. You will get toluene (or another appropriate solvent) with PseudoE free base). Then, acid extraction to divide PseiudoE from Ibuprofen.



G.PattonHi Patton, thank you for clarifying this. My confusion came from the Erowid write-up where they suggest getting rid of the PEG by soaking the initial mixture in Toluene, so I started to wonder whether some of the PEG will remain in the Toluene.

Here is the right process in my understanding, please let me know if you`d change something.

1. adding alkaline solution to pH 13
2. extract with Toluene/other non-polar
3. discard the old water layer, then perhaps do a few water washes?
4. Add some clean water to the non-polar solvent
5. Acidify until pH 3 with dilute HCl
6. The Pseudo will migrate to the water phase as Pseudo-HCl salt
7. The Ibuprofen (now acidic) will precipitate in the water phase so in theory we have pretty clean pseudo in the water.
(8.) Perhaps the final cleaning should be an AB extraction with ether although this could decrease the yield.


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## G.Patton

diogenes said:


> 1. adding alkaline solution to pH 13
> 2. extract with Toluene/other non-polar
> 3. discard the old water layer, then perhaps do a few water washes?
> 4. Add some clean water to the non-polar solvent
> 5. Acidify until pH 3 with dilute HCl
> 6. The Pseudo will migrate to the water phase as Pseudo-HCl salt
> 7. The Ibuprofen (now acidic) will precipitate in the water phase so in theory we have pretty clean pseudo in the water.



diogenesYes, you are right.


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## sst

hi i want to clean my pills for birch reduction so i need help with that
I'm not in usa or any country with heavy laws against drags so i don't think there's hidden ingredients
so my pills contain :
pseudoephedrine hcl bp 60mg
triprolidine bp 2.5mg
(what bp means) ?
and as an excipients :
maize starch 
anhydrous lactose
microcrystalline cellulose
croscarmellose sodium
colloidal anhydrous silica
magnesium stearate

the big problem is in my country is super hard to get any solvents no mek or tetra even Xylene now I'm will to get some Xylene from paint Thinner if necessary I tried ethanol and most of mass didn't dissolve (I think it is a good thing) now I'm drying them. But how do I know if the ephedrine is pure enough?


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## G.Patton

sst said:


> (what bp means) ?



sstBritish Pharmacopoeia


sst said:


> But how do I know if the ephedrine is pure enough?


You can recrystallize it or carry out TLC. Also, look at here Over-the-counter (OTC) reagents FAQ


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## sst

G.Patton said:


> British Pharmacopoeia
> 
> You can recrystallize it or carry out TLC. Also, look at here Over-the-counter (OTC) reagents FAQ



G.Pattonthere is 6 filling and one API so i did my research and found some info on the ((clearnet)) about the solubility i will be grateful if you took look cuz I'm not a chemist 
---------------------
maize starch





Is corn starch soluble in acetone, ethanol, hexane, or water? | Homework.Study.com


Answer to: Is corn starch soluble in acetone, ethanol, hexane, or water? By signing up, you'll get thousands of step-by-step solutions to your...




homework.study.com




microcrystalline cellulose


Microcrystalline cellulose


croscarmellose sodium


https://file.wuxuwang.com/yaopinbz/USP35-NF30/1112-1115%20Description%20and%20Solubility%20-%20D.pdf


colloidal anhydrous silica 





Silicon dioxide - Sciencemadness Wiki







www.sciencemadness.org




magnesium stearate








Magnesium stearate | 557-04-0


Visit ChemicalBook To find more Magnesium stearate (557-04-0) information like chemical properties,Structure,melting point,boiling point,density,molecular formula,molecular weight, physical properties,toxicity information,customs codes. You can also browse global...



www.chemicalbook.com




anhydrous lactose


https://file.wuxuwang.com/yaopinbz/EP8.0_00994.pdf



so all the above are insoluble in ethanol 
so after the drying i only have pseudoephedrine hcl and triprolidine
this source says that triprolidine is insoluble in ether


Reference Tables: Description and Solubility - T


so if i dissolve the pse in ether then filter it i will have clean stuff or there is something wrong here

i know that's a lot i will really appreciate your help


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## G.Patton

sst said:


> so after the drying i only have pseudoephedrine hcl and triprolidine
> this source says that triprolidine is insoluble in ether
> Reference Tables: Description and Solubility - T  so if i dissolve the pse in ether then filter it i will have clean stuff or there is something wrong here



sstTake into account that you told about triprolidine and ephedrine free bases. It is important thing.


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## sst

G.Patton said:


> Take into account that you told about triprolidine and ephedrine free bases. It is important thing.



G.Pattonsorry but i didn't understand what you mean I'm not native speaker 
can i use PES in ether for the birch reduction i still don't know how to add the ephedrine to the reaction


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## G.Patton

sst said:


> sorry but i didn't understand what you mean I'm not native speaker
> can i use PES in ether for the birch reduction i still don't know how to add the ephedrine to the reaction



sstI told that you have to get ephedrine free base, not salt form. Salt form is not soluble in ether.


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## sst

can



G.Patton said:


> I told that you have to get ephedrine free base, not salt form. Salt form is not soluble in ether.



G.Patton can you tell me how i couldn't find Straight answer


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## G.Patton

sst said:


> can
> 
> can you tell me how i couldn't find Straight answer



sstSorry, I don't understand your question.


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## sst

G.Patton said:


> Sorry, I don't understand your question.



G.Pattonhow to convert it to free base


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## G.Patton

sst said:


> how to convert it to free base



sstprocess by alkaline solution


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## sst

G.Patton said:


> process by alkaline solution



G.Pattonacording to this site the solubilty of triprolidine in water is 0.054 g/L so i think i will used water to purify it and the ammonia to free base the pes cuz i have to use it any way what you think ?

https://hmdb.ca/metabolites/HMDB0014571 

i have question off topic about ammonia is ok to ask it here ?


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## G.Patton

I think yes, you can try with small amount.


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## sst

G.Patton said:


> I think yes, you can try with small amount.



G.Pattonhow much ammonia and sodium i need for every gram of pes hcl ?
can i use metal reaction vessel instead of glass i think its safer ?
i have ammonium sulfate is sodium hydroxide important to generate ammonia ?


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## G.Patton

sst said:


> how much ammonia and sodium i need for every gram of pes hcl ?



sstYou can count it in moles, you have to 1.5-2x excess of alkali to make alkaline space.


sst said:


> can i use metal reaction vessel instead of glass i think its safer ?


No, you can't. It will rust.


sst said:


> i have ammonium sulfate is sodium hydroxide important to generate ammonia ?


what?


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## Maya

G.Patton said:


> Did you understand what I wrote to you above? You can try to dissolve this solution in water and divide from PEG by alkaline extraction. You will get toluene (or another appropriate solvent) with PseudoE free base). Then, acid extraction to divide PseiudoE from Ibuprofen.



G.Pattoncan I dissolve pills in methanol 99.9%at first and complet the steps?


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## G.Patton

Maya said:


> can I dissolve pills in methanol 99.9%at first and complet the steps?



MayaProbably yes, I'm not sure. Better to use IPA.


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## Maya

G.Patton said:


> Probably yes, I'm not sure. Better to use IPA.



G.PattonThanks


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## Us3rn4m3

Is this good? https://www.laboratoriumdiscounter.nl/en/xylene-isomers-98.html 
Or do I need a specific isomer?


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## robertlouis

Hii Patron,

Sorry i dont really understrand specific extract ephedrine from NeoNapacin tablet also contains theophylline. 
i have potreleum ether 90-120, NaOH, Hydrocloride Acid, Sulfuric Acid, Aquadest water, Isopropyle Alcohol.

Thanks


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## robertlouis

Hii @G.Patton ,

How to extract ephedrine HCL Salt from each pills contains Theophylline 130mg & Ephedrine HCL 12.5mg * 200 pills, Total 26 Grams Theophyline & 2.5 Grams Ephedrine HCL
my ready ingredients : NaOH, Isopropyle Alcohol 99%, Aquadest, Petroleum Ether 40-60, for HCL Gas i use NaCl, HCL Acid 35%, H2So4 (AR)

Thanks,
Sorry for many question about this, because 4 times i not yet get my expectation.


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## G.Patton

robertlouis said:


> Hii @G.Patton ,
> 
> How to extract ephedrine HCL Salt from each pills contains Theophylline 130mg & Ephedrine HCL 12.5mg * 200 pills, Total 26 Grams Theophyline & 2.5 Grams Ephedrine HCL
> my ready ingredients : NaOH, Isopropyle Alcohol 99%, Aquadest, Petroleum Ether 40-60, for HCL Gas i use NaCl, HCL Acid 35%, H2So4 (AR)
> 
> Thanks,
> Sorry for many question about this, because 4 times i not yet get my expectation.



robertlouisHello, Robertlouis. Method is described in this post. What is a problem to repeat? Please, stop spam @G.Patton under each question.


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## robertlouis

G.Patton said:


> Hello, Robertlouis. Method is described in this post. What is a problem to repeat? Please, stop spam @G.Patton under each question.



G.PattonOk Patron, sorry. I dont have much crystal yield when process bubbling HCL Gas, just 10% yield. Whers wrong? Do I have to separate theophylline first?


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## robertlouis

which best replacement VM&P naphtha?
-Kerosine
-Light Gas Oil
-Parafin
-thinner

because no Vm&P Naptha was found in my country, thanks


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## G.Patton

robertlouis said:


> Ok Patron, sorry. I dont have much crystal yield when process bubbling HCL Gas, just 10% yield. Whers wrong? Do I have to separate theophylline first?



robertlouisYes, you have to do it firstly. I don't know where is your problem. I can't guess and answer you without your detailed procedure explanation.


robertlouis said:


> which best replacement VM&P naphtha?
> -Kerosine
> -Light Gas Oil
> -Parafin
> -thinner
> 
> because no Vm&P Naptha was found in my country, thanks


Okay, google: vm&p naphtha composition


> None reported [Note: VM&P Naphtha is a refined petroleum solvent predominantly *C7-C11 which is typically 55% paraffins*, 30% monocycloparaffins, 2% dicycloparaffins & 12% alklybenzenes.]


then, you have to chose same one or similar. I think Kerosine is best one. Do you see that you need just use google and ask it? It really works well for simple questions like yours.


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## robertlouis

G.Patton said:


> Yes, you have to do it firstly. I don't know where is your problem. I can't guess and answer you without your detailed procedure explanation.
> 
> Okay, google: vm&p naphtha composition
> 
> then, you have to chose same one or similar. I think Kerosine is best one. Do you see that you need just use google and ask it? It really works well for simple questions like yours.



G.PattonOK, now I know where my problem is after reading a lot of your content patron. Thank you in advance. so my problem is that I don't know much about the acid-base theory to separate ephedrine from pills that also contain theophylline. okay which method is better for me to do? I have 2 methods in this content, I also have a method in the Fester Cookin Crank video. I've tried to follow the 2 methods in the fester video, but it only produces 1/5 of the total ephedrine hcl that I extract. short of knowledge, as far as i know only ephedrine hcl is soluble in water and theophylline is soluble in oil (non-polar). and after I finished this and got ephedrine hcl crystals, I will proceed to the reflux method with Hypophosphorus Acid + Iodine (these 2 ingredients is ready in my minilab). thank you very much. again each of my pills contains 12.5 mg ephedrine hcl & 120mg theophylline, I have 200 pills from each box. which method is good for me to start again with the hope of 100% results. I have prepared another 3 boxes of pills


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## Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton

robertlouis said:


> OK, now I know where my problem is after reading a lot of your content patron. Thank you in advance. so my problem is that I don't know much about the acid-base theory to separate ephedrine from pills that also contain theophylline. okay which method is better for me to do? I have 2 methods in this content, I also have a method in the Fester Cookin Crank video. I've tried to follow the 2 methods in the fester video, but it only produces 1/5 of the total ephedrine hcl that I extract. short of knowledge, as far as i know only ephedrine hcl is soluble in water and theophylline is soluble in oil (non-polar). and after I finished this and got ephedrine hcl crystals, I will proceed to the reflux method with Hypophosphorus Acid + Iodine (these 2 ingredients is ready in my minilab). thank you very much. again each of my pills contains 12.5 mg ephedrine hcl & 120mg theophylline, I have 200 pills from each box. which method is good for me to start again with the hope of 100% results. I have prepared another 3 boxes of pills



robertlouisJudging by the composition of your tablets, there is no need to use an acid-alkaline extraction. Try just crushing the pills into a powder and pour cold water over them. The ephedrine HCl should dissolve. Then filter out the insoluble precipitate and evaporate the water on a saucer, Ephedrine HCl should form crystals.
But first, determine the exact weight of the tablet, this will let you know if there are other ingredients not listed in the composition. Then choose a method of extraction.
If you need more support with the extraction write me on the PM.


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## robertlouis

Marvin Popcorn Sutton said:


> Judging by the composition of your tablets, there is no need to use an acid-alkaline extraction. Try just crushing the pills into a powder and pour cold water over them. The ephedrine HCl should dissolve. Then filter out the insoluble precipitate and evaporate the water on a saucer, Ephedrine HCl should form crystals.
> But first, determine the exact weight of the tablet, this will let you know if there are other ingredients not listed in the composition. Then choose a method of extraction.
> If you need more support with the extraction write me on the PM.



Marvin Popcorn SuttonI put cold water (distilled water), stir it up to 15-20 using a magnetic stirrer,

then filter it with a coffee filter, and the result is pink

and I evaporate it on a petri dish.

question:
a. why water turns pink
b. how long does evaporation take?
c. Which solution other than water crystallizes faster? what is petroleum ether? diethyl ether? ethanol ? methanol? teluene? isopropyl alcohol?
d. should I use the acid-base method using NaOH at the beginning and HCL Gas at the end? what I mean is like in the video Uncle Fester Cookin Crank

@G.Patton @HEISENBERG @William Dampier


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## robertlouis

Pill description:
Contains theophylline and Ephedrine HCL, used to relieve shortness of breath.

Composition:
Theophylline 130mg,
Ephedrine HCL 12.5mg

0.3 Grams the total mass of 1 pill I weighed.
msds not found.


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## Chernobaev

Tell me who knows please, the free base of pseudoephedrine, what is the solubility in dichloromethane and is it possible to distill it in vacuum? Smooths like a sticky paste at room temperature, not oily.


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## G.Patton

Chernobaev said:


> Tell me who knows please, the free base of pseudoephedrine, what is the solubility in dichloromethane and is it possible to distill it in vacuum? Smooths like a sticky paste at room temperature, not oily.



ChernobaevHi, I think it is soluble in DCM. Not sure, but this solvent has close polarity as chloroform.


> It is _soluble in water, alcohol, chloroform, ether, glycerol, olive oil and in liquid paraffin_.





Chernobaev said:


> is it possible to distill it in vacuum?


Yes


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## Chernobaev

Мy favorite Actifet is no produced and I bought other pills with extended release tablets, when I filled them with alcohol, it turned out such a mess, 

Starch... I thought and boiled this porridge in 5% sulfuric acid, thinking that it was possible to convert starch into glucose and oh gods the porridge turned into a liquid( foto 2)

Тhen I filtered everything and added sodium hydroxide ,and a strange plastic substance fell out, which I collected (photo 3) it tastes bitter like Еphedrine. what could it be? plasticizers?


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## G.Patton

Chernobaev said:


> Мy favorite Actifet is no produced and I bought other pills with extended release tablets, when I filled them with alcohol, it turned out such a mess,
> 
> Starch... I thought and boiled this porridge in 5% sulfuric acid, thinking that it was possible to convert starch into glucose and oh gods the porridge turned into a liquid( foto 2)
> 
> Тhen I filtered everything and added sodium hydroxide ,and a strange plastic substance fell out, which I collected (photo 3) it tastes bitter like Еphedrine. what could it be? plasticizers?



ChernobaevHi, have you checked melting point?


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## Chernobaev

Мy favorite Actifet is no produced and I bought other pills with extended release tablets, when I filled them with alcohol, it turned out such a mess, 

Starch... I thought and boiled this porridge in 5% sulfuric acid, thinking that it was possible to convert starch into glucose and oh gods the porridge turned into a liquid( foto 2)

Тhen I filtered everything and added sodium hydroxide ,and a strange plastic substance fell out, which I collected (photo 3) it tastes bitter like Еphedrine. what could it be? plasticizers?


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## G.Patton

Chernobaev said:


> Мy favorite Actifet is no produced and I bought other pills with extended release tablets, when I filled them with alcohol, it turned out such a mess,
> 
> Starch... I thought and boiled this porridge in 5% sulfuric acid, thinking that it was possible to convert starch into glucose and oh gods the porridge turned into a liquid( foto 2)
> 
> Тhen I filtered everything and added sodium hydroxide ,and a strange plastic substance fell out, which I collected (photo 3) it tastes bitter like Еphedrine. what could it be? plasticizers?



ChernobaevHi, have you checked melting point?


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