Dihydrodeoxymorphine, also known as "desomorphine" or “krokodil”, is a morphine drug derivative closely related to diamorphine, also known as heroin. Desomorphine is ten times more powerful than diamorphine and its effects are catastrophic for users, resulting in long-term addiction. It is popular among addicts due to its simple synthesis, product availability, and inexpensive cost. Cases involving desomorphine have been documented in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, and North/South America. Frequently, when the street version of krokodil is injected into the body, the flesh around the injection site is affected, most likely by the impurities of the reaction mixture. The purpose of this study was to analyze the impure byproducts of a synthetic reaction mixture of desomorphine, excluding the codeine tablets. Qualitative testing of the samples was conducted using various known tests for organic molecules such as the sodium bicarbonate test, the Jones Reagent Test, the potassium permanaganate test, and more extensive analysis using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). This study is of the utmost importance due to the gaps present in the current body of literature and the rapid popularity of the drug.

Synthesis and analysis of impure functional group substituents of dihydrodeoxymorphine “krokodil”

255th National Meeting (2018)

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