Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO 3, common baking soda) is a base used in the preparation of crack, although other weak bases may substitute for it. SynthesisĪ close up of the 'cooking' process that creates crack. Use of toxic adulterants such as levamisole, a drug used to treat parasitic worm infections, has been documented. Ĭrack cocaine sold on the streets may be adulterated (or 'cut') with other substances mimicking the appearance of crack to increase bulk. Purer forms of crack will sink in water or melt at the edges when near a flame (crack vaporizes at 90 ☌, 194 ☏). Like cocaine in other forms, crack rock acts as a local anesthetic, numbing the tongue or mouth only where directly placed. Purer forms of crack resemble off-white, jagged-edged 'rocks' of a hard, brittle plastic, with a slightly higher density than candle wax.
