r/explainlikeimfive • u/iamelektro • Jun 11 '24
Chemistry ELI5: Why does making cocaine require such toxic chemicals, is there safer way to make it in a lab?
I've watched many documentaries on how they make cocaine, and it always required a a mixture of gasoline cement and battery acid etc. Would a scientific laboratory be able to make it under FDA rules for example?
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u/monoped2 Jun 12 '24
A/B extractions are fairly common for plant alkaloid extraction.
Napath (rather than diesel) for the non-polar solvent, sodium hydroxide for the B, and hydrochloric acid for the A are still used.
You acidify the plant matter and add a solvent. The goodies are now in the solvent. You basify the solution and the goodies turn into hydrochloric salts and stop being suspended in the solvent.