Tobacco (Nicotine)

  • Alkaloid
  • Nicotine composes 0.6-3% of tobacco leaf
  • Neurotoxic (to insects) and functions as an antiherbivore chemical
  • History
    • 'Discovered' in 1492 by Christopher Columbus, where his men discovered tribal people smoking 'half-burned wood in their hands'
    • 1492 - Rodrigo de Jerez - considered the first European smoker
      • Introduced tobacco to Ayamonte, Spain
      • Was imprisoned for 7 years (smoking was unheard of, thought to be of the devil)
    • 1604 - Stuart King James I denounced tobacco use as harmful to the brain and dangerous to the lungs
      • Tariffs on imports
    • Until 1883 - tobacco excise tax accounted for 1/3 of internal revenue collected by the US government
    • 1962 - Causal link between smoking, lung cancer, bronchitis and cardiovascular disease
    • There was debate between restricting tobacco use, as it brought in a lot of income for the government

Cocaine

  • Alkaloid
  • Derived from the leaves of the coca plant
  • Antiherbivore chemical
  • Naturally grows in South America
  • History
    • Research of plant remains revealed that coca leaves were consumed by many South American native groups
    • Mummies in Northern Chile (1000BC)
    • Nanchoc Valley, Peru (6000BC) - Evidence of coca leaf production
    • 1500s - The Spanish conquistadors immediately disregarded coca leaves and cocaine, until they observed that the enslaved natives worked harder whilst under its influence
    • 1600s - Cocaine was introduced to Spain
    • 1858 - Italian neurologist Paolo Mantegazza highlighted the cognitive enhancing effects of coca leaf infusions
    • 1855 - The cocaine alkaloid was first isolated by German chemist, Friedrich Gaedcke - who named it "erythroxyline"
    • 1860 - Albert Niemann's published a better extraction process in his PhD, which is the basis of the current technique.
      • Coca leaves -> coca paste -> coke base -> cocaine hydrochloride

Cocaine Hydrochloride

  • Injected, snorted or taken orally
  • Vaporises at 197 degrees celsius, so it is not smoked.
  • If attempted to be smoked, the alkaloid is destroyed, giving a weak high and foul taste

Freebase Cocaine

  • Precipitate from cocaine hydrochloride dissolved in water, diethyl ether and ammonia
  • Vaporises at 98 degrees celsius, so it is smoked.
  • Dangers
    • Residual ammonia in the extracted precipitate is damaging to the lungs
    • Diethyl ether (used during production) is highly flammable

Crack Cocaine

  • Dissolved cocaine hydrochloride in water and sodium bicarbonate (baking powder) that form cystalised precipitates
  • Crackles when smoked (hence its name)

Amphetamines

  • Derived from the Epehdra plant, used in Chinese medicine to treat asthma, hay fever and colds.
  • Purported to increase alertness, but it may have been a placebo
    • i.e. World War II
  • History
    • 1885 - Japanese chemist Nagai Nagayoshi extracted the ephedrine
    • 1887 - Romanian chemist Lazar Edeleanu attempted to make a synthetic ephedrine
      • Named this substance phenylisopropylamine, named from the starting compound P2P (phenyl-2-propanone)
    • 1920s - Shortage of ephedrine due to a civil war in China
    • 1933 - An inhaler called Benzedrine was released, which acted as a decongestant for blocked nose and asthma
    • 1960s - Benzedrine inhalers were banned, prescription amphetamine regulations came into effect

Methamphetamine

  • History
    • 1885 - Nagai (Dude who created Amphetamines) continued his research into chemical manipulation of ephedrine led to the creation of meth powder)
    • 1919 - Akira Ogata develoepd crystal methamphetamine (ice)
      • Simpler to produce
      • Simpler chemical structure to amphetamine
      • Addition of the methyl group, making it easier to absorb
    • 1939-1945 - Germany widely manufactured and distributed millions of tablets