Psilocin - The "real deal" or an extraction byproduct.
Ori Gutman, Dana Tenne, Uriel Bretler
Journal of Forensic Sciences 2023 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.15167 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Illicit drug casework samples containing 4-acetoxy-DMT and psilocin |
| Interventions | ammonium hydroxide pyridine sodium hydroxide |
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | 4-Acetoxy-DMT Chemical identification Illicit drugs Sample preparation Thermal gravimetric analysis Forensic chemistry Psychedelic compounds Analytical methods Drug analysis |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key findings | Base-catalyzed hydrolysis during sample preparation, not thermal decomposition, converts 4-acetoxy-DMT to psilocin, with stronger bases increasing the conversion. |
Abstract
Most illicit drug casework samples at the Israel Police National Drug Laboratory are found to be mixtures of substances. Some are a mixture of an illicit drug with fillers, and others may contain more than one illicit drug. This study was triggered by a routine gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of an unusual casework sample. The sample chromatogram showed a mixture of two illicit drugs, 4-acetoxy-DMT and psilocin. Considering the two substances' similar skeletal structure, the authors wondered whether the sample was indeed a mixture of the two substances, or whether perhaps 4-acetoxy-DMT was hydrolyzed to psilocin during the analysis. This study hypothesized that indeed the base used in the pre-injection sample preparation hydrolyzed the ester group on the 4-acetoxy-DMT yielding a hydroxide group. This was tested using several concentrations of ammonium hydroxide and two additional bases - pyridine (a weak base) and sodium hydroxide (a strong base). Results showed that media with a higher pH (induced by the stronger base) yielded a higher psilocin to 4-acetoxy-DMT ratio which is compatible with degradation of 4-acetoxy-DMT. This study also explored the possibility that psilocin was a byproduct of thermal decomposition of 4-acetoxy-DMT and found it thermally stable in the temperature of the GC injection port (200°C). The 4-acetoxy-DMT case demonstrates how pre-injection laboratory procedures can inadvertently modify casework samples. Caution is clearly advisable in selecting reagents and processes in general, and specifically in the case of GC-MS pre-injection procedures conducted to analyze substances like the ones in the present study.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on psilocybin, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psilocybin induces schizophrenia-like psychosis in humans via a serotonin-2 agonist action Healthy human volunteers | 1998 | Experimental study | |
| Validation of the revised Mystical Experience Questionnaire in experimental sessions with psilocybin Participants in controlled laboratory experiments receiving a moderate to high oral... | 2015 | Validation study using pooled data from five laboratory experiments | n = 184 |
| Broadband Cortical Desynchronization Underlies the Human Psychedelic State Healthy human participants | 2013 | Experimental study | |
| Long-term follow-up of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for psychiatric and existential distress in patients with life-threatening cancer Participants with cancer-related psychiatric distress who completed a parent randomized... | 2020 | Long-term within-subjects follow-up analysis | n = 15 |
| Enzymatic Synthesis of Psilocybin | 2017 | Laboratory study |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
Cites 8
- The Effects of the Preferential 5-HT2A Agonist Psilocybin on Prepulse Inhibition of Startle in Healthy Human Volunteers Depend on Interstimulus Interval Neuropsychopharmacology February 14, 2007
- Improvements to the Synthesis of Psilocybin and a Facile Method for Preparing the O-Acetyl Prodrug of Psilocin Synthesis June 1, 1999
- Something New about Something Old: A 10-Year Follow-Up on Classical and New Psychoactive Tryptamines and Results of Analysis Journal of Psychoactive Drugs June 1, 2017
- A qualitative descriptive analysis of effects of psychedelic phenethylamines and tryptamines Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental 2020
- An analysis of the synthetic tryptamines AMT and 5-MeO-DALT: emerging 'Novel Psychoactive Drugs'. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters June 1, 2013
and 3 more in the library