Introduction to Clandestine Drug Chemistry

Drug chemistry deals with both the direct synthesis of drugs and the preparation of precursor and reagent chemicals and equipment necessary to successfully carry out this synthesis. As a result it is a very diverse field of study. You will find information on these pages dealing with most of the diverse manifestations of this discipline.

Synthetic strategy

Two ways are available to the chemist to get the desired drug : hemisynthesis and total synthesis. They differ by the nature of the starting product which is used as a precursor of the drug.

Hemisynthesis starts with a precursor extracted from a natural source, which is transformed into the desired product in a few steps.
This method is commonly used when the target molecule is a chiral compound. In this case, a total synthesis may be inefficient unless expansive enantioselective reactions are carried out, which is not an option for the clandestine chemist. Thus the chemist takes advantage of the ability of biological systems to induce chirality so that further reactions toward the target are carried out much more easily.

Hemisynthesis is used in the synthesis of the following drugs :
- LSD
- Opiates derivatives
- MDMA
- methamphetamine

Total synthesis involves the use of widely available precursors and reagents to get the desired product after a generally long sequence of reactions. This method is much more versatile in the sense that many derivatives can be produced by simply changing one reagent at a given step (eg : synthesis of mescaline, escaline, proscaline). Moreover, reactions involved in total synthesis are not specific so applies to a wide range of compounds while hemisynthesis reactions are generally very specific and are inefficient for slightly different precursors (eg : conversion of lysergic acid to LSD).
However, such syntheses generally don't allow for the introduction of chiral centers (at least not at the clandestine level), thus are limited when the target molecule is a big chiral molecule (eg : MAOI, opiates, ibogaïne, ...). Finally, since the sequence is generally longer than hemisynthesis, the total yield is lower. Lower yield are generally balanced by cheaper and much more available starting products.

Total synthesis is used in the following cases :
- MDMA
- Research chemicals (eg : 2C-B, 2C-I, bromo-dragonFLY, ...). I this case total synthesis is the method of choice since the chemist generally wants an easy access to all possible derivatives.
- Mescaline, Escaline, Proscaline
- methamphetamine

Those two synthetic strategies are not clearly distinct. For example the synthesis of methamphetamine from pseudoephedrine is between the two : is the pseudoephedrine a widely available precursor or a molecule extracted from something ?
For convenience, one should see hemisynthesis as a conversion of a somewhat active compound to another in a few steps while total synthesis starts from compounds which differ from the target molecule and proceed in many steps.

The synthesis of most drugs is accomplished through the procurement of a precursor chemical that requires very little modification to yield the desired product. This is the case with the very popular synthesis of methamphetamine from ephedrine or pseudoephedrine. The nature of this synthesis is relatively simple, and the availability of the direct precursor to the general public in the form of cold/decongestant pills makes it all the more so. However, as a result of the proliferation of methamphetamine labs across the United States, governmental regulations and obliging drug companies have progressively made such pills more difficult to extract. This has resulted in the necessity of formulating more refined and ingenious extraction methodologies, which has actually become quite an art of its own.

In the case of some drugs, such as MDMA, the synthesis is slightly complicated by the lack of availability of a direct precursor such as MDP2P. As this chemical is closely watched and does not serve a direct purpose to the general public (as opposed to the case with pseudoephedrine) it must be manufactured prior to its final modification into the chemical commonly known as “Ecstasy”. This problem crops up throughout the field as more and more governmental regulations reduce the availability of precursor chemicals link to precursor chemicals. This has resulted in the necessity to a successful drug chemist to expand his/her repertoire to include a variety of precursor synthesis. Precursor chemicals and the variety of ways through which they are obtained will be discussed further in the Precursor and Reagent Chemicals section.

In some cases a “Total Synthesis” of a specific chemical is desired. At this point the drug chemist will look for a way to prepare a drug from readily available and relatively innocuous chemicals. In the case of complex drugs, such as LSD and some opiates, this can be a monumental task. In the case of methamphetamine and ecstasy, however, the task is often easily accomplished. This is an area of great interest within the drug chemistry community, as it provides an avenue to subvert governmental control.
Some of the most commonly synthesized drugs include MDMA, 2C-B and Methamphetamine from the Phenethylamine class of chemicals, LSD from the Tryptamine class of chemicals, and Heroin from the Opiate or Opioid class of chemicals. Some other drugs, including GHB and methaqualone (the common chemical name of the active ingredient in Quaaludes), are also relatively easy to synthesize. The increase in popularity of the former resulted in an increase in the number of labs producing that drug, while the decrease in popularity of the later resulted in a decrease in the number of labs that produce that drug. Trends such as these are a general occurrence in the field of clandestine drug chemistry.

In addition to the commonly synthesized drugs mentioned previously, various other drugs also find the favor of clandestine drug chemists. As a result of the recent crackdown on “research chemicals” the synthesis of such drugs as 2C-I, 2C-C, 5MeO-DMT, and more have become popular topics. Another trend is the recurrence every few years of “Heroin substitutes”. These are drugs, usually Fentanyl derivatives, which mimic in some sense the action of Opiate or Opioid drugs such as Heroin and Morphine. The synthesis of these drugs requires more skill than most “street chemists” possess, and as a result the proliferation of these drugs is usually limited and sporadic.

Clandestine drug chemistry is a potentially lucrative, and as a result very attractive, hobby. Yet its practice can result in very dire consequences. Convicted drug chemists often receive sentences of 10 years to life in prison in the United States, and may be summarily executed in some other countries. It is important that an individual know the legal status of the substance they intend to synthesize prior to taking any steps toward the synthesis, and it is at least equally important that the individual understand the full spectrum of consequences that can result from performing the synthesis of illegal drugs. Information on legal aspects pertaining to drug chemistry is available here. In addition to information relating to the legality and potential legal consequences of drug chemistry, it is often a good idea to keep abreast of what is going on in your community by paying close attention to drug chemistry related news. All of our pages which relate to drug synthesis are provided for informational purposes only, and in no way intend to condone nor promote the use of such information in such a way as to violate any local, state, or federal laws regarding such matters. Know what you are doing before you get involved in anything, think ahead, and above all stay safe and free.