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Cocaine/Synthesis: Difference between revisions
>Communism Edited fractional crystallization process |
>Communism Changed carriage return on fractional crystallization |
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'''Fractional Crystallization''' | '''Fractional Crystallization''' | ||
Cocaine has 16 sterioisomers, different configurations of the cocaine molecule. One of these is the cocaine we are looking for, the other sterioisomers are either inactive, or may be toxic. Since the sterioisomers have the same molecular mass we cannot use chromatography or distillation to separate them. Instead we dissolve the hydrochloride sterioisomers in a heated, aqueous supersaturated solution and then use a seed crystal of the cocaine hydrochloride isomer we are looking for and then lower the temperature of the supersaturated solution. This causes the correct cocaine hydrochloride sterioisomer to crystallize on the seed crystal. This is fractional crystallization and separates the correct sterioisomer from the rest of the other sterioisomers. A cocaine seed crystal can be obtained from an anhydrous acetone wash of street cocaine. Cocaine hydrochloride is completely insoluble in pure, anhydrous acetone, but all cutting agents are, dissolving them away leaving pure cocaine hydrochloride crystals, which can then be used for our fractional crystallization process. | Cocaine has 16 sterioisomers, different configurations of the cocaine molecule. One of these is the cocaine we are looking for, the other sterioisomers are either inactive, or may be toxic. Since the sterioisomers have the same molecular mass we cannot use chromatography or distillation to separate them. Instead we dissolve the hydrochloride sterioisomers in a heated, aqueous supersaturated solution and then use a seed crystal of the cocaine hydrochloride isomer we are looking for and then lower the temperature of the supersaturated solution. This causes the correct cocaine hydrochloride sterioisomer to crystallize on the seed crystal. This is fractional crystallization and separates the correct sterioisomer from the rest of the other sterioisomers. A cocaine seed crystal can be obtained from an anhydrous acetone wash of street cocaine. Cocaine hydrochloride is completely insoluble in pure, anhydrous acetone, but all cutting agents are, dissolving them away leaving pure cocaine hydrochloride crystals, which can then be used for our fractional crystallization process. | ||