White HQ – front
The front of the pill has “HQ” imprinted shallowly.
That side is slightly domed (raised).
Imprint quality not very impressive.
The back of the pill has beveled edges and a single score down the middle. The beveled edges tapers off at the score:
The grey specks are consistent.
I think this is a local pill due to the lack of similar imprints popping up in other countries.
White HQ – back
Marquis:
Slow to purple and it retained that color (didn’t turn black). It
probably took all of 10 seconds to achieve that reaction, but it is
cold right now, so that could be a factor.
Conclusion: MDxA
Simons:
Mild bubbling and a very light orange color was noted. Very thin and
nearly invisible blue streaks could be seen much later (about 12
seconds) but I really had to squint and look at it at an angle to see
that.
Conclusion: MDMA and MDA combo? Methamphetamine and MDA
combo? I’m making guesses here. Heh! This is speculation based on the
previous results and the qualitative effects of that pill. It does seem
to be a MDxA based pill though, so all should be good.
Interesting read: Color Test Reagents/Kits for Preliminary Identification of Drugs of Abuse [ncjrs.org]
[.pdf document – Right click, save target as]
It has the compositions of the 12 reagents (including Marquis,
Simons, Mecke, Mandelin etc etc) so you could make it yourself. I don’t
think the chemicals are controlled so it’s just a matter of walking
into a chemical distribution company (the smaller ones that sells to
high schools) and getting the stuff and putting them together. Nifty.
However, I also found out something unpleasant. Apparently it’s a
bad idea to touch the reagents because most of them have toxic
ingredients. I looked at the EZ Test Marquis reagent again and true
enough, it has a nicely worded, skim over the details warning in Fine
Print. The PDF document above goes into more detail, use SodaPDF
to be able to read the details of the documents. The Marquis reagent
has formaldehyde and this is what the excerpt says:
Formaldehyde – TOXIC.
May cause cancer. May cause heritable genetic damage.
Toxic by inhalation, in contact with skin, and if swallowed.
Causes burns. May cause sensitization by inhalation and skin contact.
Readily absorbed through skin. Lachrymator. Combustible.
Target organs: eyes, kidneys.
Wear suitable protective clothing and gloves.
The easiest way to break up hard pressed pills. Syringes are just so
versatile. The needle breaks the pill up with a fissure and the cap
serves to move stuff around for the reaction. 🙂
Here’s another excerpt about the chemicals in Simons reagent. This is a real bag of laughs:
Sodium nitroprusside – VERY TOXIC.
Very toxic by inhalation, contact with skin, and if swallowed.
Target organs: blood.
In case of accident or if you feel unwell, seek medical advice immediately.
In case of contact with eyes, rinse immediately with plenty of water
and seek medical advice. Wear suitable protective clothing, gloves, and
eye/face protection. Do not breathe dust.
Acetaldehyde – EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE, TOXIC.
May cause cancer. May cause heritable genetic damage.
Harmful by inhalation, in contact with skin, and if swallowed.
May cause sensitization by inhalation and skin contact.
Possible risk of harm to unborn child. Causes severe irritation. Lachrymator. Photosensitizer.
Target organs: kidneys, liver.
May develop pressure. Keep away from sources of ignition. In case of
contact with eyes, rinse immediately with plenty of water and seek
medical advice.
Wear suitable protective clothing, gloves, and eye/face protection.
Needless to say, I was not very impressed at the lack of
documentation regarding this in the EZ Test kits. Readily absorbed
through the skin…I’ve been touching it with my bare hands while moving
samples into and out of the solution and also mixing things up without
gloves. It’s my fault for not reading the Fine Print. RTFM. Oh well, I
don’t think the concentrations present in the reagents is enough to
produce those toxic effects anyway.
/me sets up camp on the riverbanks of Egypt
Wow, what a nice view I’m getting.
