Formula: C17H21NO4
Melting Point: 90 Degrees (Celsius)
Boiling Point: 187 Degrees (Celsius)
Molecular Weight: 303.4g
Also known as: Crack, Snow, Coke, Flake, Blow
Cocaine is a powerful stimulant, which affects the Central Nervous System. Cocaine heightens alertness, while inhibiting the appetite as well as the need for sleep. It also provides intense feelings of pleasure.
Prepared from the leaf of the Erythroxylon Coca bush, which grows primarily in Peru and Bolivia, Cocaine has had its history since about 3000 B.C., where Coca chewing was practiced throughout South America. It was believed that Coca was a gift from God.
During the 1850s, Coca was used extensively in throat surgery. Around 1855, Cocaine was first extracted from Coca leaves. In 1884, Cocaine became widely used as a local anesthetic. That same year, Sigmund Freud published a series of papers praising Cocaine for its use as a treatment for depression, alcoholism, and morphine addiction.
Two short years later, John Pemberton introduced a new beverage containing a mixture of Cocaine-laced syrup and caffeine. Deriving the name from one of the base ingredients, Pemberton names his beverage "Coca-Cola." Cocaine was removed from the formula in 1901.
Around 1905, it was discovered that snorting Cocaine had became popular. 5 years later, the first cases of nasal damage from Cocaine snorting are being seen in hospitals, and documented in medical literature. By 1912, the United States recorded approximately 5000 Cocaine-Related fatalities during the span of one year. The U.S. banned Cocaine in 1914.
Cocaine was eventually replaced by synthetics, such as lidocaine and procaine for medicinal use. However, Cocaine is still used medically in very rare cases.
Cocaine's short-term effects start to appear shortly after the single dose, and usually disappear within a few minutes or hours. When taken in small amounts of up to 100mg, Cocaine usually provides sensations of euphoria, energy, talkativity, and mental alertness, increasing sensitivity of the five senses. It can also temporarily cancel the need for food and/or sleep.
Cocaine is usually distributed as a white, finely-ground powder.