LSD, the common abbreviation for Lysergic Acid Diethylamide-25, often termed "acid" in the streets, is one of the most potent hallucinogenic substances known to man. The chemical was actually synthesized for the first time in 1938 by a German scientist named Albert Hoffman. However, in that year, Hoffman did not see any use for the chemical, and so it was scrapped into the "useless" pile. It was not until 1943 that Hoffman decided to pick up on the research of the molecule again. While working with it, he happened to either inhale or ingest some of it accidentally, and went through a truly novel experience. Since then, new more efficient ways to synthesize the chemical have been developed for further study.
[...] Adding tartaric acid and re- crystallization from methanol will yield more and more pure substances of Lysergic acid diethylamide Tartrate as in the other synthesis method. Both of these methods are effective ways of producing LSD. However, the first method, being older, goes through many intermediates before arriving at the final product. This leaves a lot of room for errors in measurement or accidental addition of some kind of unwanted chemicals. The second method is more practical in that fewer intermediates are used and the end yield is higher than in [...]
[...] This chemical can be found in various species of morning glory plant seeds, but the most yielding species are the Pearly Gates, Heavenly Blue, and Wedding Bells varieties. It is also found in the seeds of a species known as Argyreia Nervosa, commonly termed Hawaiian Baby Woodrose. The first part of the procedure involves extracting the LSA from these plants. For exemplary purposes, we shall consider the Heavenly Blue Morning glory seeds. The seeds must first be ground in a blender to a fine powder and then spread out to dry. [...]
[...] To do this, you must first dissolve 10 grams of lysergic acid amide in a methanolic (not aqueous) potassium hydroxide solution. The methanol part is to be removed by vacuum filtration as soon as the lysergic acid amide has been dissolved. The residue that is left must then be dissolved into 200mL of an solution of potassium hydroxide in water. This mixture is to then be heated for about an hour in a steam bath. During the heating, a stream of nitrogen gas should be passed through the flask with the mixture. [...]
[...] The residue must be chromatographed process in which a chemical mixture carried by a liquid or gas is separated into components as a result of differential distribution of the solutes as they flow around or over a stationary liquid or solid phase) over alumina (an oxide of aluminium) with elution (washing out a desired chemical from a solution using a solvent) using a 3:1 mixture of C6H6/CHCl3. The collected mixture is stripped of the solvent via hard vacuum filtration to constant weight. [...]
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