Methylenedioxymethamphetamine

** By: Lily ** // "I feel absolutely clean inside, and there is nothing but pure euphoria. I have never felt so great or believed this to be possible. The cleanliness, clarity, and marvelous feeling of solid inner strength continued throughout the rest of the day and evening. I am overcome by the profundity of the experience..." - Alexander Shulgin //

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depending on the hydration of salt ||
 * **Formula:** C 11 H 15 NO 2 ||
 * **Molar Mass:** 193.35g ||
 * **Melting Point:** 50-155 °C
 * **Boiling Point:** 283.4±9.0 °C at 760 mmHg ||
 * **Density:** 1.1 ± 0.1 g/cm 3

||


 * [[image:http://www.justice.gov/dea/pr/multimedia-library/image-gallery/mdma/ecstacy-03.jpg width="277" height="261" align="left" link="http://www.justice.gov/dea/pr/multimedia-library/image-gallery/mdma/ecstacy-03.jpg"]] ** Created in a laboratory by the Leuckart reaction and by the Merck company **
 * ** White, tan, or brown colored, but can be any colored **
 * ** Comes in the form of a powder but is also available in tablet form **
 * ** Tablets can have an array of symbols on them **
 * ** Liquid Ecstasy is the same as GHB which is a nervous system depressant (substance found in drain cleaner, floor stripper, and degreasing chemicals) **
 * ** Is snorted, injected, or dissolved **
 * ** Is a derivative of Methamphetamine (Crystal Meth) **
 * ** Medical uses include: an appetite suppressant and a possible helper in psychotherapy **
 * ** Nicknames: Ecstasy, Disco Biscuit, Love Drug **

__** History: **__

 * __Christmas 1912:__ Chemist Anton Kollisch from the Merck company, a Geman pharmaceutical, chemical, and life science company, requests for a patent on Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (Ecstasy) originally named Methylsafrylamin. Ecstasy was originally supposed to control bleeding and it was also supposed to be a diet pill. The Merck company had it patented in 1914.
 * __1927:__ Merck researchers experimented with Ecstasy on animals and found it created a stimulation similar to adrenaline.
 * __1953-1954:__ The United States Army did animal experiments with the drug and other narcotics because they thought it could be a possible truth serum.
 * __1959:__ The Merck company conducted research on Ecstasy's use for a stimulant.
 * __1965:__ Alexander Shulgin was a famous chemist and a famous pharmacologist who was best known for his interest and creation in pyschoactive drugs and chemicals. During this time, he synthesized MDMA.
 * __1967:__ A University of California San Francisco student and Shulgin both experiment with the drug on themselves for the first time.
 * __1972:__ The drug starts to spread and decrease its rarity.
 * __1977:__ Leo Zeff, Shulgin's psychologist friend and one of the original doctors involved in the psychedelic therapy movement, received a vial of MDMA as a retirement gift. Leo tried it the very night he received it and concluded that he didn't want to retire anymore. He found that MDMA helped patients overcome their emotional barriers.
 * __1984:__ Michael Clegg openly sells the drug in Texas and nicknames it Ecstasy. Scientists wanted to use the Methylenedioxymethamphetamine in their lab experiments and doctors wanted to use it on their patients. They ended up challenging the DEA's decision of putting Ecstasy in Schedule I for controlled substances.
 * __ 1985: __ Many judicial hearings about the placement for Ecstasy on the DEA's list of controlled substances.
 * __1986:__ The ending result was that it was safe to use under medical supervision (within a doctor's or therapist's guidelines). These groups led to sue the DEA.
 * __1988:__ The doctors won the legality, but then the drug was considered illegal once more.
 * __March 2001:__ The distribution of Ecstasy was ten times more punishable by law.
 * __November 2001:__ The U.S. Food and Drug administration approved of testing on humans for reactions to MDMA.
 * __September 2003:__ George Ricaurte tells the world that Ecstasy will cause brain damage and could lead to Parkinson's disease. "It'll rot holes in your brain."
 * __April 2004:__ The first dose of MDMA in M.A.P.S' post-traumatic stress disorder study is given.

__** Where It Is Found/How It Is Obtained: **__
Ecstasy can be created from Safrole, a flavoring additive, which is a yellow oily liquid found in sassafras albidum roots, nutmeg, dill, parsley seed, crocus, saffron, vanilla beans, and calamus. Safrole is an essential part of Sassafras oil. To extract, you first dig up the roots of the sassafras plant or collect the fruit of the plant. Then you wash and scrape off all of the bark. To obtain the actual oil, you steam distill from the bark scraps. The oil is seen as small droplets in water. To get the oil out of the water, you use a separatory funnel which separates the oil from the water. Then, to dry the oil, one would use calcium chloride or another source of dehydration and place the oil in a boiling flask. The portion of t he oil that is from 228-235°C is Safrole.

__** Creation: **__
Created by [|synthesis]. 1. Distillation: From natural oil creates Safrole 2. Rxn: Formaldehyde + Ammonium Chloride -> MethylAmine.HCl (MeAm.HCl) 3. Rxn: Safrole -(Wacker Oxidation(PdCl2+Benzoquinone))-> MDP2P 4. Distillation: Reaction components create pure MDP2P 5. Rxn: MDP2P -(Al/Hg Amalgam (MeAm.HCl) -> MDMA oil 6. Crystallization: (MDMA oil + HCl in IPA/Xylene)



3D Molecular Structure:

 * [|Details]
 * [[file:cornellbiochem/3D model.bio|Download]]
 * 1 KB

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__** Bonds: **__
MDMA by itself is considered to be a covalently bonded secondary amine. When it is combined with HCl, the covalent bond turns ionic. Ecstasy is insoluble in water yet it can be soluble in the majority of organic solvents.



__ Percentage Compositions: __

 * || **Carbon** || **Hydrogen** || **Nitrogen** || **Oxygen** ||
 * //Percent Composition by Mass// || 68% || 7.8% || 7.2% || 16.6% ||
 * //Percent Composition by Number// || 37.9% || 51.7% || 3.4% || 6.9% ||

__** Chemical Properties/Reaction Tendencies (Effects on the Body): **__
Ecstasy is a chemical mixture or variation of amphetamine, methamphetamine, and mescaline. It is considered a semi-synthetic drug. It throws off the brain's chemical reaction balance by producing high amounts of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine from the brain's neurotransmitters. Just by increasing the amount of serotonin also increases the amount of vasopressin (//man-made hormone that effects the kidneys and blood vessels//) and oxytocin (//hormone that effects pair bonding with organisms//) hormones.

Ecstasy is considered a stimulant and a hallucinogen contained in a crystalline solid. What this means is that it creates a sexual arousal as well as obstructs the vision and focus of the brain, creating a psychedelic feel. Another effect that it has on people is the ability of ego softening. Ecstasy has been proven to damage the serotonin nerve terminals in the brain. This area of the brain is essential in every day life and allows you to keep your emotions, moods, sleep levels, pain tolerances, as well as others under control.

Psychotherapists labeled the drug's effects as moderate and felt that this drug could help them have an understanding for their clients as well as a release of their clients' emotions. The drug could possibly help therapists overcome the barrier between them and their clients which would enhance their insights those in which were dealing with relationships. Although this drug once found limited use in therapy, it is no longer used for counselling purposes.

||< Where sensory perception, motor commands, reasoning, thought processes, and language are stored. || Other effects that have been noted while on Ecstasy are:
 * < **Neocortex:**
 * < ** Hypothalamus: ** ||< Where hormones are produced. ||
 * < **Basal Ganglia:** ||< Controls all body movements. ||
 * < **Amygdala:** ||< Processes all emotions. ||
 * < **Hippocampus:** ||< Commands bodily functions. ||
 * // Grinding of teeth //
 * // Profusely sweating //
 * // Heart rate and Blood Pressure inclination //
 * // Depression //
 * // Liver Damage //
 * // Flashbacks //
 * // Death //

// MDMA is absorbed through the body at high rates yet have the inability to break down. After administering multiple doses, the MDMA metabolites can cause the body to produce high blood levels which worsen the heart and worsen the remaining toxins in the drug. It has been noted that MDMA is less toxic than MDA but more toxic than mescaline, another drug. //

__** Uses/Importance: **__
Depending on who is being asked why this drug is important, you'll get different answers. If you were to ask a rave-goer or a club dancer why this drug was important or what use it has, you may get the answer of it being the thing that shapes their subculture. This means that Ecstasy is the thing that molds their idea of a good time while dancing. Rave-goers claim that Ecstasy allows them to keep committed to their "faith". This "faith" evolves around the ideas of peace, love, unity, and respect. Many routines that happen at raves are stemmed off of the drug use at the dances. An example of that would be the light shows at raves. They have light shows because the people who are using Ecstasy are more sensitive and appreciative of the colors and depths of the colors than those who aren't using the drug.

Also at raves, people are typically close together and socializing. This is caused by the effects of the Ecstasy. Ecstasy allows groups to have a sense of unity or solidarity about them. While most outsiders argue that raves are toxic drug zones with sexual behavior, some argue that Ecstasy connects people and allows a safe environment of finding out where you belong.

__** Works Consulted: **__
[] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [] [|www.mdma.com] [|www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17152992] [|www.erowid.org/chemicals/mdma/mdma_faq3.shtml] [|www.narconon.org/drug-information/ecstasy-history.html] [|thedea.org/drughistory.html] [|www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/research/job185drugs/methylenedioxymethamphetamine] [|alcoholism.about.com/od/ecstasy/a/ecstasy.htm] [|www.drugfacts.ca/Drug_pages/ecstasy.html] [|ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/roc/twelfth/profiles/Safrole.ptdf] [|www.chemspider.com/chemical-structure.1556.html] [|www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/ecstasy/what-is-ecstasy.html] [|www.bluelight.ru/vb/archive/index.php/t-642313-p-2.html] [|www.sciencedaily.com] [] [] [] [|http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/summary/summary.cgi?cid=1615#x94] []