11.1.3 Agent Lemon: Dual-Phase Acid-Base Extraction of bundy
The Agent Lemon process is a newer and in all honesty a much better method for extracting bundy. It takes less time, doesn't involve playing with flammable and toxic fumes, and doesn't require sodium hydroxide. Here is the Agent Lemon method as posted on Usenet. I have inserted a few comments in italics, primarily with regards to separating the organic and water phases. They use a siphon tube, but I believe that the Zip-LockTM bag separatory funnel is a better idea.
OPERATION AGENT LEMON
TOP SECRET
Reverend Jim Barris
Reverend Indole Ringh
Reverend Anastasia Albert
After establishing control over 80% of the world's Drixoral supply, our troop was in a position to change the face of bundyology forever, in the interest of accelerating human transcension.
The Mission: extract bundy from cough syrups with materials and equipment that one could buy without any trouble at your nearest Woolworth's.
Theory:
The bundy FAQ [1] describes an acid-base extraction method that requires materials (specifically Sodium Hydroxide) that are difficult to get in pure form for many people. Read it for the theory. Now, after you read it, we'll add on the following:
The "acid-base" extraction in the FAQ does not actually use an acid stage. We can add an acid stage, to remove the bundy from the solvent. Therefore, we can avoid the need to evaporate a lot of solvent -- we can just throw it out the drain. Thus, you can do this without producing vapors that will lead your neighbors to think you are running a meth lab.
The Materials: (this will blow you away)
bundy-containing cough syrup. This process will probably produce a dangerous product if you use a syrup that contains any active ingredients other than bundy or Guaifenesin. DON'T! We used Robo Max Cough because CVS was closed.
Ordinary Household ammmonia (clear, not lemon or some other scent)
Lighter Fluid (we used "Zippo"; check criteria in FAQ [1]). Make sure it evaporates with no residue.
Citric Acid. Available as a canning supply at your neighborhood supermarket. We used lemon juice on the first attempt, but we switched to citric acid after consultations ([1], personal communication).
Equipment:
A brief interjection here. This paper suggests using a siphon to separate the layers. However, I think the plastic baggie separatory funnel is a superior method, for two reasons. First, rubber tubing (and many types of plastic) are attacked by organic solvents, and can degenerate, or (worse) dissolve into the solvent and possibly muck up the extraction. Second, you get much better control with a separatory funnel, even a kitchen chemistry version. I will follow up their method with my suggestion.
Some containers and flexible rubber tubing to use as a siphon. We cut ours off our vaporizer because we don't know where we stashed the tubing.
Two large zipper-seal (e.g., Zip-LockTM) plastic freezer bags, unpleated (if you want to use the separatory funnel concept instead of the siphon).
Concept:
Prepare ahead of time a solution of the citric acid in water. For two bottles of tussin (8 oz each) we used 3 tablespoons of citric acid in 8 fluid ounces of water.
Add ammonia to bundy. bundy converts from hydrobromide salt to freebase and precipitates out of water. Since it is now nonpolar it wants to go into a non polar solvent. Now you add a nonpolar solvent and shake hard. Free base goes into solution in solvent. Let solvent float to the top. (doesn't mix with water) Physically separate the layers. Now the bundy is in the nonpolar layer, mix that with the acid and shake well. The bundy converts back into the acid salt (since lemon juice has citric acid in it, we make bundy hydrocitrate). This is so beautiful because the bundy is practically pulled across the oil-water interface by the hydrogen ion gradient.
Now you throw out the oil layer, and the bundy is now acid salt in the lemon juice. Boil it for a few minutes in the microwave, stir it good, so any volatile solvent that remains will evaporate.
You are left with "Agent Lemon" or "DXemon juice", a highly concentrated product, which is superior to cough syrup -- if you really wanted to, you could probably boil away the water -- with no danger, since the amount of solvent is almost nothing, and get a crystalline product that might be cut with anhydrous citric acid. I wouldn't suggest it, since it might irritate the stomach.
Details:
Put cough syrup in 2 liter bottle.
Pour in a lot of ammonia. Excess is not a serious problem. The ammonia volume was about equal to the syrup volume.
Stir.
Pour into a tightly sealable vessel. A funnel is good to have.
Incidentally, you can probably just use the same 2-liter bottle and pour the lighter fluid into that; the plastic won't dissolve.
Add about a 1/2 inch thick layer of lighter fluid.
Shake the hell out of the vessel. We did it for about five minutes.
Pour the liquid back into 2 liter.
Let the organic solvent layer separate, it wil float on top of the water.
We used a siphon to separate the layers. We filled the siphon (a flexible rubber tube) with water, and while covering one end, plunged the siphon deep into the water layer.
Hold the free end of the siphon below the other end of the siphon, and let go of the end. Let the liquid drain into a jar. Throw out the watery layer.
The other way to separate the layers is with a separatory funnel, or the approximate version (a plastic bag). Pour the entire contents of the bottle into the sealable plastic bag, seal it, let the layers separate, clip off the bottom corner, and let the watery layer (on the bottom) drain out into the drain. Then let the organic layer drain into the jar.
If you want to minimize the amount of water-ammonia-cough syrup inactive ingredients, add more water, let separate and siphon (or separate) again. We were paranoid and did this four times. The product we got towards the end didn't even taste like ammonia.
Now mix the solvent layer with the citric acid solution.
Transfer to snapple jar.
Really shake the hell out of it. We shook it for 5 minutes, splitting the work between the three of us.
It takes a few minutes to separate. Wait.
Some have reported a soapy layer forms in between the two layers; if so, just let it sit until the soapy layer is completely gone (it may take a few hours).
Next stage. Use the siphon again, we recommend being conservative and not letting any solvent get into the siphon at all, so we left a little water layer.
Or use a new plastic storage bag, and this time keep the water layer and discard the organic layer. Be friendly to the environment and let it evaporate outside; don't just pour it down the drain.
Boil the lemon juice for a few minutes (we did for seven), the theory is that if a little bit of the organic solvent is there, it will boil away.
Drink the Agent Lemon. We have not deterimined the best method, we think you could mix it with something, or maybe drink it straight. It tastes really bitter (that's the bundy).
Results:
(Note: This was a previous trial with 4 oz. of syrup and with lemon juice instead of citric acid. This may give an inferior product.) One of us (I.R.) volunteered to assay the material extracted. Since I am a 105 kg. male in good health (except for the tail end of a nagging cold) I was considered to be the best subject. I thinned the material from about 1 fl. oz. to about 8 fl. oz. and added six tablespoons of sugar. I consumed the material at approximately 4:20 in the afternoon. The extracted product seemed to have a washed-out lemon taste (some flavor oil probably went into the organic phase). There was a bitter taste which I believe is bundy. I tasted (very carefully!) a few microliters of the lighter fluid, and that didn't seem to match the weird taste.
After about 15 minutes (while the other investigators smoked a bong) I noticed significant pharmacological effects. At about 5:30 I was experiencing effects consistent with a dose of about 3.0 mg/kg. This suggests a yield in the 90% range. (about 315 mg of 350 recovered). At about this time, I took a couple of small bong hits myself, which produced instant second plateau effects. This backs up my assay of the dosage. At this time (9:30) I am still experiencing light effects.
The new citric acid product now sits in Mr. Barris's refrigerator. We plan to test it soon (possibly this weekend, Mar. 1 1996) and will report.
