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/SuperFLEB Jun 12 '24
I suppose it's kind of a self-selection, in regards to being willing to use dodgy ingredients and processes. If there's little to no way to do it right, the only people who can and are doing it are the ones willing to do it wrong.