Some of you may recall a post made by
/u/bestro9 a couple days ago regarding a supposed "soda extraction" of DXM Polistirex (
thread). The experiment that was performed by
/u/bestro9 used DXM HBr, and did not work. Currently, a simple extraction of DXM Polistirex can be performed by using water. This extraction I have performed before, and it worked well. The problem is, DXM Polistirex follows a rhyme which goes "Twice as long, Half as strong". Because many people many not like this aspect of DXM Polistirex, in order to attain DXM HBr, you have to go through a rather complicated and time consuming process to extract DXM HBr from regular cough syrup.
Now, if your stores are like mine and they do not sell DXM HBr with no other active ingredients (or, a 1:1 ml/mg ratio of DXM, which is shit), then you ought to keep your eyes open on updates from this post, because the experiment I plan to perform may mean release for all. Release from extended-release.
The purpose of this experiment is to assess whether it is possible to dissolve the plastic coating of Dextromethorphan Polistirex using an acidic solution similar to the pH levels in our stomachs.
My hypothesis is that yes, the Polistirex coating will be totally dissolved off of many, if not all, DXM Polistirex molecules, creating either DXM Freebase or DXM H3PO4 (Phosphoric Acid, the primary acidic compound in the sodas I will be using).
Note: word has been spread of this process eliminating the potency of the DXM; however, there is no reason to believe that the DXM will lose its potency. The process responsible for flushing DXM (and DXO) requires enzymes that are only found in living organisms, not in store bought sodas.
Supplies:
- Around 24 hours
- RC Cola, Coca Cola, or Cola of any kind (for high acidic levels)
- Funnel (preferably)
- Empty liquid container (preferably 2 liter), and enough water to fill it up
- Dextromethorphan Polistirex
Procedure:
- Pour Dextromethorphan Polistirex into a container of water (use cold water if you syrup contains Acetanimophen, hot water if it does not). Try to aim for at least a 3:1 ratio of water to syrup, where a greater ratio of water is totally acceptable and even recommended. [In my experiment, 89 mL of syrup will be used which has a concentration of 6 mg/ml, giving 534 mg of DXM Poli.]
- Wait until the DXM Polistirex, which is not water soluble, floats to the bottom of the container. Do not disturb the solution in this process. [In my experiment, the bottle will be left out overnight.]
- Empty out the water as much as possible. As soon as you hit any coloration in the container, stop emptying out water (coloration indicates a suspended solution of DXM Polistirex and water).
- Prepare your cola bottle by bathing it in very warm water (again, the goal is to match conditions in the stomach).
- Pour the extracted DXM Polistirex into your cola bottle. The bigger the bottle, the better. [I will be using a 2 liter of RC Cola, because I assume the more cola you have, the more Phosphoric Acid you have to dissolve the DXM Polistirex and still have enough Phosphoric Acid left over.]
- Let the solution sit over night, moving it around or stirring it periodically if you can. Time is much more important in this process than the water extraction one. The water extraction really only requires around 2 hours. [I'll be letting it sit overnight because tripping day is 4th of July anyways.]
- (Optional): Due to the predicted decrease in Phosphoric Acid concentration in the hypothesized solution, the cola may not be as palatable as it once used to be. A second bottle of any liquid to help wash down the taste may be in order.
Notes:
If the acid ate away at the Polistirex, we will know because the DXM will now be water soluble. It is possible that the plastic coatings will either dissolve in the water, or float to the bottom. If they float to the bottom, this may cause confusion as to whether or not the Polistirex coating was dissolved because it may be difficult to tell the difference between the Polistirex shells, and DXM Polistirex. Nevertheless, if we have synthesized DXM H3PO4, I'm almost positive I will be able to tell by the time that putrid non-poli taste hits the back of my throat.
If you want to have a sneak peak at a previous experiment whose scientific discourse, procedure and data are somewhat unreliable but followed the same vein as mine, you can take a look at
/u/ilovedxm's post
here. The reason I say this is because this experiment did not have accurate data (basing calculations off human subjectivity and experience), and the data that was attained was inconclusive (user reports a 25% decrease in potency). I plan to make my experiment as close-ended as possible, which is why I am publishing the procedure beforehand.
Yields:
The actual yield I receive will be very difficult to measure due to the process I am using. Likewise, the predicted yield will also be hard to calculate because the exact molar mass of the Polistirex is hard to come across. Because we are (hopefully) synthesizing 2 different molecules (DXM, DXM H3PO4) from a molecule whose exact molar mass may actually vary (DXM Polistirex), knowing the molar mass of each of these substances will be key in comparing their potency. Further experiments can be done to calculate the molar mass of the Polistirex, and I would be very entertained in hearing the results because I would gladly perform the stoichiometric calulations needed to compare doses.
Without the knowledge of the molar mass, it is also very difficult to make out the exact dosage I will be administering. However, we can still see some of the calculations that will have to be performed:
Potency increase from DXM HBr to DXM Freebase due to difference in mass: 129.8% (352.3/271.4)
Potency decrease from DXM Freebase to DXM H3PO4 due to difference in mass: 73.47% (271.4/369.4)
Potency decrease from DXM H3PO4 to DXM HBr due to mass: 90.9% (80.9/89)
Implications:
I've been writing for a while, so I'd like to hear some opinions on this. Will you consider using this? Will this experiment solve a problem that you experienced in your area too?
Experiment:
Pictures to come soon. DXM retrieval and warm water preparation will be done in an hour, DXM Polistirex -> DXM H3PO4 process will begin tomorrow, and final results will be viewed on July 3rd, while dosing will begin on July 4th. The dosing on July 4th will conclude the experiment and the results will be easily available right on this post.
EDIT 1: Due to the fact that the DXM Polistirex appears to have totally coalesced at the bottom, I am preparing to drain out the water and put in the DXM. I'm unsure of how quickly it will react, but it will be left until 4th of July (barring a few sips), so time is not an issue.
The bonus of waiting this long to dose after performing the experiment is that I will be able to see if any significant potency was lost in the DXM's submersion, another hypothesis that we can kill with 1 stone.
EDIT 2: It appears as though the soda is well deserving of a bit of time since I noticed the collection of whatever it is at the bottom (probably DXM Poli as opposed to the shells because it hasn't been exposed to time nor heat).
EDIT 3: There appears to be a subtle yet noticeable drop in mass of Polistirex.
Here and
here are pictures of the current solution after being totally undisturbed for 6 hours. In comparison,
here and
here are pictures from it 6 hours ago, after being suspended for 6 hours.
One last picture to compare to the water extraction stage.
There appears to be little coagulation of Polistirex molecules, a trait I noticed when I dropped DXM last time. This is promising because it notes a change in chemistry. When I previously dropped DXM, I put the extracted DXM Polistirex into a Gatorade bottle and drank. Got nearly nothing until I hit the bottom. At that point I noticed a gooey, uneven white mass (which I assume to be DXM Polistirex), which I directly ate and it taste like shit. Not seeing this gooey mass is a good sign.
Upon giving the solution a shake, the DXM drifted to the bottom and coalesced unusually slowly.
Taste tests (a rarely performed test in chemistry!) indicate that some DXM molecules managed to make it to the top of bottle for me to taste, after it was left out over night. This is especially promising because the only way this could happen is if the DXM became water soluble (which it was supposed to once the Polistirex coating was dissolved) and drifted to the top.
On tripping day, I will attempt to drink everything but the Polistirex mass at the bottom. That will be the moment of truth, because if I start tripping then, the experiment is a confirmed success. If I do not, I will drink the Polistirex at the bottom (aided by a little Gatorade). I will also test to see if the plastic mass coagulates when put in Gatorade.
Until then, I will keep you updated if there are any noticeable changes!
EDIT 4: Acute coagulation has occurred. In an attempt to observe the Polistirex more closely, I decided to let it run into the lid, flip it right side up, and observe the lid and surrounding area.
This is a picture of the mass.
The mass feels and acts a lot like sand. However, instead of coagulating as soon as it is broken up, the mass still separates and drifts to the bottom.
A small taste and smell test of the mass were performed (about 30 mg was consumed). The texture was as I had expected, sandy. It still does not resemble the blobs of DXM that I saw when extracting my last batch (which is good). I did not recognize the familiar DXM taste, although that could be due to the lack of mass consumed.
The mass that has collected still worries me, because it bears a few similarities to DXM Polistirex, namely its brownish hue. It has me wondering though, if this doesn't break down the Polistirex coating, what does?
EDIT 5: Because I am able to access the Polistirex from here without disturbing the solution, I am going to ingest the Polistirex due to my confidence in my synthesis of DXM H3PO4. Little to none of the solution will be consumed. The solution has sat for about 36(?) hours.
The mass I am viewing still coalesces slowly and does not coagulate, both that are indicative of the Polistirex being separated from the DXM. It also had a totally brownish hue, without the slightest hint of white, which was observed when I dropped DXM Polistirex last time.
EDIT 6: The Polistirex mass has been consumed, and the solution will be consumed tomorrow.
The texture of the mass does not resemble the DXM Polistirex I had. The mass was sandy and did not coagulate. The taste is slightly reminiscent of it, but certainly doesn't taste horribly. Absolutely no aftertaste was observed. No psychedelic symptoms should be observed in the coming hours. It tastes somewhat.. sour.
The Polistirex also had a tendency to stick to the plastic, where the longer it was stuck, the harder it was to get it off. It also took
forever to float to the bottom, suggesting a huge decrease in mass (but still heavier than the H2O and H3PO4 and whatever other chemicals are in there).
EDIT 7: Few, if any, effects can be observed. This is a very promising discovery. I will create a new post tomorrow if the rest of the solution does anything, but there is an excellent chance that it will!
EDIT 8: Absolutely no dissociative effects occurred when ingesting the Polistirex. I am now convinced I ingested purely Polistirex coating shit, which tasted like shit, all in the name of science. Upon doing my daily tasks I thought of a perfect name for this synthesis method: Robo-Crown. It's a portmanteau of Robitussin and Royal Crown, two trademark ingredients of the method (despite the fact that I didn't use Robitussin, but it sounds clever so whatever).
It also occurred to me that I have no clue how long the Polistirex dissolving process takes. The chemistry of the mass seemed to change every time I observed it until I ate it, but I will remember the Polistirex definitely has a brown hue.
EDIT 9: It's tripping day today, I'm going to start tripping in less than 2 hours. I'm going to get a lot of fucked up. If it works, then we have a new thing.
EDIT 10: I'm nearly finished with the 2 liter and I am tripping my balls off. The solution is beginning to taste more and more like cough syrup. I think it worked. We did it. It is confirmed.
To all who will benefit from this experiment, I say, good luck and have a chat when you do it. We can learn something new about the method every time.
