MY modification of the codeine extraction method.

So I found myself only able to get acetaminophen/codeine pills instead of my usual aspirin/codeine pills and i was kinda choked... aspirin/codeine pills work very nicely for my cold water extraction method, im high off the codeine within minutes. Tylenol takes too long for me to filter, the shit clogs up the filter paper too much.

So I was looking for a new method and I found out that benzylic amides such as the one present in tylenol are readily hydrolized under microwave radiation.. So I crushed my pills in water, added citric acid via lemon juice (to protect the codeine from degradation and to create an acidic medium that helps catalyze the reaction) and I tossed it in the microwave for about 4-5 minutes in total. The hydrolysis of the amide bond in tylenol gives us "para-aminophenol" an aromatic amine that is VERY insoluble in water.

I took the glass out and put it in the freezer, this helped the para-aminophenol crystals grow. I took the shit and filtered it, codeine in the filtrate and nice big fat para-aminophenol crystals left in the filter paper. Voila.

Noticed no loss in potency of the codeine.


Beware, if you suck you may die, as always with drugs.

 

Codiene hardly seems worth the effort. Nice work, though.

 

Very interesting. Any more specific details such as pill / water ratio, Ph of citric acid acidified solution, power of microwave, etc?

 

Temperatre over 40C will destroy the codeine- are you sure putting it in the microwave is the best thimg to do.

 

Great, great, great idea. Really, my hat is off to you!! Too bad that I don't have a microwave -______________________-

I wish I did now. My tylenol 4s are still sitting around (2 of em)

 

no that is the paracetamol that is destroyed (looses the +COCH3, or is it H-COCH3). Thats pretty neat that it doesn't require any catalyst or stabalizer. Is it reversible?

 

This is awesome. I imagine this will work the same for APAP pills containing oxycodone? you don't expect there to be much loses from the water boiling violently for 3-4 minutes? how long do you suspect is completely neccisary to convert all the acetaminophen? do you even think most of the acetaminophen actualy converts? or just the majority of it? look forward your answers, thanks!

Oh when your done is water clear? or is it mirky? how much water do you tend to use?