The ingredients that are used in the process of making meth can include: ether, paint thinner, Freon®, acetone, anhydrous ammonia, iodine crystals, red phosphorus, drain cleaner, battery acid, and lithium (taken from inside batteries). Meth is often manufactured or “cooked” in very crude laboratories.

What equipment is in a meth lab?

Meth labs are usually equipped with items such as: Pyrex, glass or Corning containers, mason jars or other kitchen glassware (These may be fitted with hoses, clamps, or duct tape.) Plastic soda, water or sports drink bottles (This may be the only evidence of meth labs that use the one pot or shake and bake method.)

What is a super meth lab?

Methamphetamine Production Laboratories 2-3, 5-10 There are two types of methamphetamine production laboratories: “super labs” and “mom and pop” labs. Super labs are typically found in California and Mexico and have the capability to produce 10 to 20 pounds of methamphetamine at a time.

What is phosphorus used for in meth?

Red phosphorus is combined with elemental iodine (see below) to produce hydriodic acid (HI), which is used to reduce ephedrine or pseudoephedrine to methamphetamine (Salocks and Kaley 2003b).

What to do if you suspect your neighbor is making drugs?

But above all else, never attempt to confront someone if you suspect they are manufacturing or selling drugs. If you honestly believe there is a problem, you should contact the local police or sheriff’s office and let them look into it. Do not take the law into your own hands.

Where do you find red phosphorus?

The main food sources of phosphorus are milk and meat – specifically chicken, pork and organ meats. Seafood is also rich in phosphorus. Other high-protein foods, such as beans, lentils and peas, are also good sources. You can get small amounts of phosphorus from whole-grain bread and cereal, nuts, seeds and chocolate.

How do you make phosphorus?

White phosphorus is manufactured industrially by heating phosphate rock in the presence of carbon and silica in a furnace. This produces phosphorus as a vapour, which is then collected under water. Red phosphorus is made by gently heating white phosphorus to about 250°C in the absence of air.

How do you spot a drug lab?

1. Unusual Odors. …
2. Excessive Amounts of Trash. …
3. Suspicious-Looking Houses. …
4. Odd-Looking Plumbing and Diverted Electrical Lines. …
5. Frequent Visitors at Odd Times. …
6. Excessive Security Features. …
7. Unfriendly Neighbors.

What is the Nagai method?

The reduction of ephedrine or pseudoephedrine hydrochloride using hydriodic acid and red phosphorus, known as the Nagai route, is preferred in the Asian and South Asian region. The method is straightforward and can be used for large-scale production (Figure 1).

How do you know a drug house?

1. Excessive foot traffic to and from a house or property.
2. Loitering in or around a house.
3. Frequent and unusual traffic patterns such as: Stop – Enter – Leave.
4. Traffic frequently stops and a resident comes out and talks briefly with occupants of car.

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How do you tell if your Neighbours are drug dealers?

1. lots of different people coming and going from an address.
2. people coming and going at odd times of the day and night.
3. strange smells coming from the property.
4. windows covered or curtains closed all the time.
5. cars pulling up to or near the house for a short period of time.

Is there a substitute for phosphorus?

Phosphorus cannot be manufactured or destroyed, and there is no substitute or synthetic version of it available.

Is red phosphorus illegal?

To make hydriodic acid, red phosphorus is combined with iodine in the procedure. However, red phosphorus is illegal to import, export, purchase, or sell iodine crystals in the United States if they are used or intended to be used in the production of methamphetamine.

What causes Phossy jaw?

It was most commonly seen in workers in the matchstick industry in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was caused by white phosphorus vapour, which destroys the bones of the jaw. Modern occupational hygiene practices have since eliminated the working conditions that caused this disease.

What household products contain phosphorus?

• rust, lime and mineral removers.
• floor cleaners.
• products labeled as “all purpose” or “general purpose” cleaners.
• spot removers.
• toilet bowl cleaners.
• upholstery cleaners.
• kitchen cleansers.
• mold and mildew cleaners.

What are Red matches made of?

The head of safety matches are made of an oxidizing agent such as potassium chlorate, mixed with sulfur, fillers and glass powder. The side of the box contains red phosphorus, binder and powdered glass.

What is Birch reduction used for?

The Birch reduction is an organic reaction that is used to convert arenes to cyclohexadienes. The reaction is named after the Australian chemist Arthur Birch and involves the organic reduction of aromatic rings in liquid ammonia with sodium, lithium, or potassium and an alcohol, such as ethanol and tert-butanol.

How do you make phenylacetone?

One method of creating phenylacetone is via: phenylacetic acid (C8H8O2) + acetic anhydride (C4H6O3) + pyridine catalyst → phenylacetone (C9H10O) + carbon dioxide (CO2) + water (H2O) Sodium acetate has been used instead of pyridine.

What is red phosphorus?

Red phosphorus is one of the most common allotropes of phosphorus and is considered to be a derivative of the P4 molecule. It exists in an amorphous (non-crystalline) network of phosphorus atoms. It is found to be more stable than white phosphorus (another naturally occurring phosphorus allotrope).

What is a drug runner?

drug runner in British English (drʌɡ ˈrʌnə) noun. a person that illegally takes recreational drugs into a country.

What drug smells like cat pee?

Unusual Odors: Making meth produces powerful odors that may smell like ammonia or ether. These odors have been compared to the smell of cat urine or rotten eggs. Covered Windows: Meth makers often blacken or cover windows to prevent outsiders from seeing in.

What fertilizer has high phosphorus?

Fertilizers that are high in phosphorus include mushroom compost, hair, rock phosphate, bone meal, burned cucumber skins, bat guano, fish meal, cottonseed meal, worm castings, blood meal, manure, and compost. Of course, you can use a mixture of any of these sources of phosphorus, depending on what you have available.

What happens when phosphorus runs out?

It’s not as well-known as the other issues, but phosphorus depletion is no less significant. After all, we could live without cars or unusual species, but if phosphorus ran out we’d have to live without food. Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for all forms of life.

How many years until phosphorus runs out?

It notes that an estimate of the remaining years of rock phosphate supply fell from 300 to 259 in just the last three years, as demand rose. “If the estimated remaining number of years supply continues to decline at this rate, it could be argued that all supplies will be exhausted by 2040,” the scientists wrote.

What is a Victorian match girl?

But these were the women who worked 14 hours a day in the East End of London and who were exposed to deadly phosphorous vapours on a daily basis. … This nickname was given by the match makers to the particularly nasty condition “phosphorous necrosis of the jaw”.

What is fuzzy jaw?

Phosphorus necrosis of the jaw, commonly called ‘phossy jaw’, was a really horrible disease and overwhelmingly a disease of the poor. Workers in match factories developed unbearable abscesses in their mouths, leading to facial disfigurement and sometimes fatal brain damage.

What is yellow phosphorus?

“Yellow phosphorus” (YP) is formed by a small amount of red phosphorus resulting discoloration of white phosphorus. [1] YP is a general protoplasmic toxin[2] and is used in the manufacture of fireworks, rodenticide, and fertilizers. Rodenticides are available as powders or pastes containing 2%–5% of YP.