PH testing

Discussion in 'Drug Chemistry' started by deadonceagain, Mar 5, 2005.

  1. deadonceagain

    deadonceagain mankind is a plague

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    i was woundering if you could test the qulity of a drug by testing the ph like for example coke if i mixed some coke in a littile water (first making sure that the water is at neutral level aka 7 on the ph scale)then tested the mixture with a ph strip would it work? also would the chemicals they cut the drugs with mess up the test or can i even use ph to test stuff like that
     
  2. mycoguy

    mycoguy Member

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  3. EllisDTripp

    EllisDTripp Green Secessionist

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    A cocaine hydrochloride solution in water will have an acidic pH (due to the HCl), but this is not a useful test for quality or purity...
     
  4. deadonceagain

    deadonceagain mankind is a plague

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    would PH testing work on any drug?
     
  5. EllisDTripp

    EllisDTripp Green Secessionist

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    In short, no.

    pH testing only determines the degree of acidity/alkalinity, not the chemical identity of a substance. If you are looking for a simple, crude test to help identify a substance or look for cuts, try a melting point test.
     
  6. gnrm23

    gnrm23 Senior Member

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    with pH being the negative of the logarithm of the concentration of the hydronium ion in aqueous solutions, with "neutral" (as in distilled deionized H20) defined (& calculated - y'know they had to conduct a poll of every water molecule in a liter of water ;) ) as 7.0...
    a few of the H2O molecules dissociate into H+ ("free protons")(which form H3O+ ions, aka "hydronium") & OH- (hydroxyl group)

    the "p" is negative log & the "H" is [H30+] or concentration of hydronium ion)
     
  7. SpliffVortex

    SpliffVortex Senior Member

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    i just ask the local crack head for quality information "but very unreliable"
     
  8. geckopelli

    geckopelli Senior Member

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    Try a melt point test.

    If memory serves, cocaine HCL melts at 198 C.

    If you can pass 185 C, you're kicking ass.
     
  9. EllisDTripp

    EllisDTripp Green Secessionist

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    In addition to looking for the specific melting point of the substance being tested for, the RANGE of temperatures around the melting point is important, as well.

    The purer a substance, the "sharper" the MP will be. Impurities cause a "broadening" of the melting point.
     

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