ABSTRACT
Since 1983 a large number of small-scale illicit laboratories producing morphine and heroin from commercially available, codeine-based pharmaceutical products have been encountered in New Zealand. The codeine demethylation procedure is based on the use of pyridine hydrochloride. Very simple laboratory equipment and reagents are required and these can be utilised by people with little or no chemical background, following a recipe-like procedure. The process yields a characteristic product known as 'homebake'. This process is fully described.
Subject(s)
Codeine , Forensic Medicine , Heroin , Illicit Drugs , Laboratories , Morphine , Chemical Phenomena , Chemistry , New Zealand , Nonprescription DrugsABSTRACT
A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the fluorometric determination of morphine in biological samples has been developed. Column effluent is mixed with alkaline potassium ferricyanide to produce the fluorescent dimer pseudomorphine. The method provides higher chromatographic specificity and sensitivity than conventional high-performance liquid chromatography. Morphine can be detected at levels of 10 ng on column.
