Freebasing

Freebasing

“Freebasing” refers to increasing the potency of cocaine by extracting pure cocaine alkaloid (the free base) and inhaling the heated vapours through a cigarette or water pipe. An aqueous solution of the cocaine salt is mixed with an alkali (such as baking soda), and the free base is then extracted into an organic solvent such as ether or hexane. The procedure is dangerous because the mixture is explosive and highly flammable. A simpler procedure, which avoids use of organic solvents, consists of heating the cocaine salt with baking soda; this yields “crack”.