To answer the original question there are a few things that make LSD "so hard to make" for the average "joe":
1) Acquisition of precursors:
Pure LSD precursors are impossible for the average person to get; these are guarded, in a government safe, deep in the bowels of the earth, by various electronics defences, Navy Seals w/ mutant German Sheppards, booby traps, trolls, dragons, shittons of paperwork in order to get more shittons of paperwork, bureaucrats, politicians, Jeff Dahmer with a rusty steak knife, and a large bucket of cute little kittens that is ready to be dropped into a vat of molten steel if you so much as think of doing something the DEA considers immoral. (I exaggerate but it's necessary that you see the point; I think you get it now.)
The necessary precursors are only know know to naturally occur in a small number of species of various genera; these are - Ergot (claviceps purpurea or paspalli, a fungal disease that infects various grains, especially rye) - the original source from which Albert Hofmann first synthesized LSD
- Morning Glory plants, including the genera Calystegia, Convolvulus, Ipomoea, Merremia, and Rivea (these include the plants commonly referred to as Morning Glories, Ipomoea, and Hawaiian Baby Woodrose, Argyreia nervosa)
- Sleepy Grass (Stipa robusta), a grass which can become infected with the Acremonium fungus endophyte; it is the endophyte which produces LSA
It is possible to extract and purify the various alkaloids from these with common products, however the quantities of raw material needed to obtain practical quantities (enough to make 200mg of LSD) of precursor would be difficult to explain to authorities. specifically - ~400g (~1lb) of Ergot (which is a poison and, while not illegal, would probably require some kind of paperwork)
- ~500g (~1lb) of Ipomoea seeds (how the f*** are you going to explain the need for ~13000 seeds)
- ~100g of Argyreia nervosa seeds (ok, this is not so bad, if my calculations are correct)
- God only knows how much sleepy grass you would need; if it grows locally you could probably figure it out yourself, if not, don't bother.
Lets start with ergot; ergot is poisonous (the gangrene kind of poisonous), so handling it without proper safety precautions is bad. You cannot buy it because it is poisonous. It grows on various grains and is a common disease of the rye plant; if you live near rye farms and can safely collect a pound of ergot from grains then you are good to go. Cultivation is difficult because ergot alkaloid content is highly dependent on the substrate, and cultivating it on anything other that grain will probably not yield any alkaloids. After this you must extract ergotamine with various acids, bases, and salts (procedures can be found on Google).
Moving on to Morning Glory; the problem with MG is that the alkaloids are only contained in the seeds and the seeds are tiny and few in an average plant. Considering it would take ~13000 seeds to get enough alkaloids, you would need to grow a couple hundred plants; if you have a green house or farm, go for it. Alternatively, you could buy 500g of seeds online and hope no one shows up at your door. Extraction involves washing with non-polar solvent (petroleum ether) and extracting with polar solvent (ethanol).
Finally, Hawaiian Baby Woodrose; this is probably the best choice. It's seeds are significantly bigger than those of MG and contain significantly more alkaloids; several plants could be sufficient. That said, it will probably not flower the first year or two, and can only be grown outdoors in warm, subtropical climates, where it will not freeze in winter. Again, there is the option to purchase ~100 seed. Extraction is the same as for MG.
2) Understanding the syntheses: (syntheses: n.; pl. of synthesis)
We all know that there are various semi-syntheses available online ranging from the original Hofmann hydrazine method to the current preferred Shulgin method. I would say it is a requirement to know and understand all of these, because in 95% of cases you will need to improvise. Practical organic chemistry is rarely cut and dry; even an experienced organic chemist will have problems and must be able to think critically and quickly to save his reaction. Additionally, you may not have access to some of the preferred chemicals and may need to substitute. In order to truly understand these syntheses you must know basic organic chemistry, basic organic synthesis laboratory techniques and procedures, and most advanced synthetic laboratory procedures. - If you totally understand all the steps, and have done or at least seen all of the steps done (whether it was for synthesizing LSD or something else), then you probably understand ~85-95% of the synthesis.
- If you think you totally understand the steps involved and have only taken general organic chemistry with lab, you are about 50-65% there.
- If you have taken general organic with lab and partially understand the synthesis, you are about 30-40% there.
- If you have no lab organic lab experience, you have a long road ahead of you.
- If you must ask whether you fall into a category, you probably don't.
A good rule of thumb in my book is that if you have never run a preparatory chromatography column, you are probably not ready.
3) Obtaining lab space, lab equipment, and necessary chemicals:
This synthesis requires a large, clean, well ventilated work space; a fume hood is highly recommended. Never set up a lab in your home or in a residential area. Doing so is stupid, dangerous, and irresponsible. An unused building such as a shed, barn, or garage, on a farm, in the country, may be a convenient place to set up a lab; remember to ventilate well.
The equipment required to run a successful organic lab includes:
- glasswear (beakers, flasks, adapters, stoppers, pipets, etc.),
- various stands, holders, clamps, etc.,
- stir/hot plates,
- various sized heating mantles,
- thermometers,
- vacuum (either water aspirator or mechanical pump),
- prep. chromatography columns,
- chromatography plates,
- long wave UV lamp,
- scales (preferably analytical, reading grams to 4 or more decimal places),
- melting point apparatus.
These things are not usually considered illegal or suspicious and are available from various places on the net.
Access to an Infrared (IR) spectrometer, Mass spectrometer (MS), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectrometer, High Performance/Pressure Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC), and/or Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS) would be necessary for identification of the product. Any decent 4 year college should have at least an IR and GC, so the best option for most is to find a friend who has access to this; if you are this person, good for you. Most people do not have the money to buy these, as they cost tens of thousands of dollars on the low end; If you do have that money, you are probably not interested in making LSD and what are you doing here anyway?
Now on to the fun stuff, the chemicals. These can be grouped as follows:
- Solvents
- Chloroform (CHCl3)
- Deionized/distilled water (H2O)
- Diethylether (Et2O)
- Anhydrous Ethanol (EtOH)
- Anhydrous Methanol (MeOH)
- Benzene (C6H6)
- Ammonia solution (NH3) in
-- Methanol
-- Ethanol
- Reagents
- Acids and Bases
-- Sulfuric acid (H2SO4)
-- Hydrochloric acid (HCl)
-- Tartaric acid
-- Potassium hydroxide (KOH)
-- Ammonia solution (NH3) in water
- Reactants
-- Diethylamine (Et2NH)
-- One of the following:
--- Phosphorous oxychloride (Phosphoryl chloride - POCl3)
--- Anhydrous hydrazine (N2H4) and sodium nitrite (Na2NO2)
--- Acetonitrile (CH3CN) and trifluoroacetic anhydride ((CF3CO)2O)
- Desicants
- Magnesium Sulfate (MgSO4)
- Gases
- Nitrogen (N2)
- Argon (Ar)
Most of these chemicals will be difficult for the average person to get and will probably require much paperwork. The most closely watched is likely diethylamine; one would have to explain themselves very thoroughly for that. Trifluoroacetic anhydride, phosphorous oxychloride, hydrazine, and ammonia are probably next on the list of chemicals that may raise a red flag. Acids, bases, solvents, and gases are fairly common trade in chemistry circles and the least problematic. If you know people who have access to any of these things, ask them if you trust them. If ordering these chemicals, do not put all of your eggs in one basket; split up the most crucial and most watched supplies between multiple companies. Better yet, see if multiple friends are willing to buy them for you.
Conclusion:
LSD is hard to produce because (a) the necessary supplies are not common to the general public and therefore can be easily controlled and monitored, and (b) the procedure is so complex that a thorough understanding of advanced organic chemistry is crucial.
Edited by AHoffman (01/09/08 11:11 PM)
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