9 February 2010
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Synthetic drugs glossary
The term 'drugs' was originally used for dried plants, or parts thereof, that were used as pharmaceuticals directly or following the extraction of active ingredients. Today the term is also used to refer to substances of herbal or synthetic origin which, by acting on the central nervous system, may cause a state of mind different from what is considered normal. Consequently, the modern definition of the term 'drugs' includes pharmaceuticals, tobacco and alcohol, as well as controlled substances and designer drugs. Natural drugs are active ingredients, secondary metabolic products, of plants and other living systems, that may be isolated by extraction (morphine). Semi-synthetic drugs are products from natural sources, they have to undergo a chemical process (heroin, LSD). Synthetic drugs are artificially produced substances for the illicit market which are almost wholly manufactured from chemical compounds in illicit laboratories (amphetamine, benzodiazepines). Designer drugs are substances whose molecular structure has been modified in order to optimise their effect on the one hand, and in order to by-pass laws and regulations governing the control of substances on the other hand. Once designer drugs have been outlawed by the competent authorities they are called controlled substances (2 C-1).
From a chemical point of view all amphetamine-type stimulants are related to the ß-phenethylamin molecule (2-PEA). This molecule is the basic element of the body neurotransmitters (such as dopamine and adrenaline) that convey the neuronal information of the central and vegetative nervous system. The relatively simple structure of 2-PEA can be designed in many ways, so that it is very difficult to calculate the exact number of all possible derivatives with similar pharmacological effects. Amphetamine itself might be called the prototype ('mother') psychostimulant. It was first synthesised in 1887 but was not used for medical purposes until the early 1930s, when it was found that it increased blood pressure, stimulated the central nervous system, cured bronchodilatation (asthma) and was useful in treating an epileptic seizure disorder.The abuse of this drug started at the same time. The most common amphetamine derivatives currently known from the illicit drug market can be classified in the following three categories:
These are only examples of possible derivatives, for further information you have to look at the established literature.
On the illicit drug market amphetamines have been sold in form of powders, liquids, crystals, tablets and capsules. Today tablets are the most common form - designated as 'Ecstasy'. The tablets are found in many sizes, shapes, colours, and with imprints/logos.
Several reasons make amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) very attractive:
Tryptamines are naturally occurring alkaloids found in a variety of plants and life forms around the world. There exist more than 1500 natural varieties. The basic element of tryptamine is the indol-structure. Tryptamines can be also produced either completely synthetically or semi-synthetically. A great number of derivatives are possible and a lot of them are already known (see TIHKAL). Tryptamine itself is an endogenous amine found in the human brain. Serotonin and Melatonin are two other essential tryptamines present in the human body. They both have the same function as neurotransmitters as the dopamine. Known natural tryptamines are: Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is an active principle of various South American snuff, such as "COHOBA" and "YOPO". It has been produced synthetically for a number of years, but its' abuse has been restricted to a small number of dedicated users. Psilocybin and psilocin are found in at least 15 species of mushrooms - so called "magic mushrooms" - belonging to the genera Psilocybe, Panaeolus, and Conocybe. Bufotin is very similar to DMT from a chemical point of view. It can be found either in the skin secretions of toads or in combinations with DMT in different trees in South America (for example YOPO tree). OLOLIUQUI (morning glory) is yet another naturally occurring agent used ritually by South American Indians. One ingredient of the seeds is lysergic acid amide that is approximately one-tenth as active as LSD as a psychoactive agent. Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD), a semi-synthetic drug, was first synthesised by Albert Hofmann in 1938. Basic material for the semi-synthetically production of LSD are the lysergic acid compounds of the ergot (sclerotia/spore capsule of a parasite mushroom). On the illicit drug market LSD has been sold in the form of impregnated paper (blotters/trips), microdots, thin squares of gelatine (window panes), or impregnated on sugar cubes. Stamps or blotters are the common dose form. They are made by impregnating paper with a solution of LSD in alcohol. These papers are "trade marked" with various designs.
Opioides are all drugs that exert action upon the endogenous (body) opioid-receptors located in the central nervous system and also in the gastrointestinal tract. Opiates are any natural drug obtained from the opium poppy (papaver somniferum). Semi-synthetic opioides are produced by chemical modification of natural opiumalkaloides obtained from the opium poppy (heroin, dihydrocodeine). Synthetic opioides are totally synthetically produced drugs that have similar effects and the same basic structural elements as morphine (examples are methadone, fentanyl, pethidin). Endogenous opioides are naturally occurring substances (mostly proteins) in the body that interact with opioid-receptors and they are responsible for a morphine-like activity. This class of synthetic drugs is very important because a huge number of drugs that are like morphine in action have been synthesised in attempts to duplicate its' usefulness and to find an ideal potent analgesic free of habit forming properties. The number of these substances has been estimated to be about 4000. With only one or two exceptions, these attempts to separate the analgesic effects from the euphoria-producing effects, which are those associated with compulsive abuse, have been unsuccessful.
Benzodiazepines, therapeutically used as tranquillizers, hypnotics, anticonvulsants and centrally acting muscle relaxants, rank among the most frequently prescribed drugs. In 1960, the first benzodiazepine, chlordiazepoxide, was introduced. To date, more than 50 benzodiazepines have been marketed in over 100 different preparations. They appear mainly as capsules and tablets, however some are marketed in other forms such injectable solutions or powders. On the illicit drug market especially diazepam, temazepam, and flunitrazepam are used as drug substitutes, often in combination with alcohol, and as additives in drug preparations.
Phencyclidine (PCP) was synthesised and tested in the early 1950s and recommended for clinical trials as an anaesthetic in humans in 1957. In 1965, further human clinical investigation of PCP was discontinued and the compound was marketed commercially as a veterinary anaesthetic. PCP became available through the drug culture in the late 1960s, referred as "PeaCePill", commonly sold as "angel dust", "crystal" or "hog", on the illicit market in powder, tablet, leaf mixture, and 1 gram "rock" crystal forms, usually taken orally, by smoking, snorting, or intravenous injection. The laboratory synthetsis of PCP and approximately 120 related substances such as Eticyclidin (PCE) or Tenocyclidin (TCP) is cheap but also work intensive and time consuming. The structurally related anaesthetic, ketamine ("Special K"), was subsequently developed. It induced a similar state of anaesthesia, but psychedelic reactions are much less severe. It is legally produced in the USA, Russia, Hungary, and other countries, this compound is readily available.
Methaqualone was first synthesised in 1951 and introduced as a new drug that produced sedation and sleep in 1956. Methaqualone has been initially designed to counter the nervous damages caused by long-term consumption and to reduce the risk of the dependency potential of barbiturates. This did not succeed. Interest in methaqualone rose dramatically in recent years. Its popularity was due to its undeserved reputation as an 'aphrodisiac' often in combination with diphenhydramine. Because of its strong habit-forming properties the drug was placed in the list of controlled substances and the legal manufacturer stopped its production and removed it from the market in 1984. Key precursor in the manufacture is N-acetyl anthranilic acid, which is widely used in the chemical industry. A number of analogues may be obtained in a single step preparation from this precursor and a suitable substituted aniline.
Gamma hydroxybutyric acid is a drug that is very similar to a natural chemical in the human brain called gamma amino butyric acid ("GABA"). GHB is simple sodium (or potassium) salt of 4-gamma-hydroxybutyric acid. The street names are "liquid E", "liquid ecstasy" or "fantasy". GHB is not listed in any schedule of the Controlled Substances Act. The forms of use are tablets, white powder, or dissolved in water or other liquids. Originally GHB was marketed as a supplement replacement for L-tryptophan (amino acid) after an epidemic of eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome.Since the early 1990s it is illicitly used by athletes and bodybuilders, believing that its growth hormone releasing effects contribute to anabolism and lipolysis, or misused as a sleep aid and for weight control. GHB can be very easily prepared from gamma-butyrolactone - a common industrial chemical for paint removers - by alkaline hydrolysis. The clandestine manufacture of GHB requires no prior chemical expertise as evidenced by the simplistic instructions given in the underground publications or on the Internet.
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