the

~ook
of
1\cid
easy to, follow
instructions for
making organic,
LSD from legal
and available
materials
by adam gottlieb
 the ~ook of Acid
by nclzam gottlie:b
Copyright ©1975, by Kistone Press

All Rights Reserved

COVER AND ILLUSTRARTIONS BY LARRY TODD

TABL.E or CONTENTS

WHY THIS BOOK WAS WRinEN ............. .............. .... ..... .2

LYSERGIC ACID AND THE l.A W .................. ......... ... .. ........• 3
PREPARATION OF LYSERGIC ACID
FROM ASPERGILLUS CLA VATUS ........... . ................... .4
PREPARATION OF LYSERGIC ACID
FROM ERGOT (CLA VICEPS PURPUREAI· . .... .... ..... ...... 5
CULTIVATING MORNING GWRIES
WITH HIGH LYSERGIC ACID CONTENT .............. ....... .. 7 .
EXTRACTION OF LYSERGIC ACID AMIDES
FROM MORNING GLORY OR BABY HAW AllAN
WOOD ROSE SEEDS ...... . ........ .. ...... .... . .. . ................. '9
CONVERTING LYSERGIC ACID AMIDES
TO D-LYSERGIC ACID ... .................... ......................JO
MAKING L.SD·-25 . . . .-................................. . ..... ......... ....... l l
PREPARATION OF LSD-:m FROM D~L YSERGI . A ID ......... 11
PREPARATION OF LSD-25
FROM ANY LYSERGIC ACID DERIVATIVE ................. 12
CONVERSION OF ISO-LYSERGIC ACID
DIETHYLAMlDE TO LSD-25 ........ ................ ............ .. 13
SEPARAT10 OF LSD-.25 FROM ISO-LSD .......................... 14
PREPARATION Of HOAGLAND A-Z CO CENTRATE .... ..... 15
STERILE CONDITIONS ........ . ................ . .. ... ........... ...... .. . 15
SUP·PLIERS ........................ .... ... . ........................ . ......... 16
 WHY TIDS BOOK WAS WRITI'E

When Dr. Albert Hofmann. of Sandoz Chemical Works in

Basel , Switzerland first created LSD ~25 he did so by combining
diethylamine with lysergic acid de~ived from ,e rgot alkaloids.
Ergo IClaviceps purpureal is a fungus which sometimes infests
the Ii ing kernels of rye and other grains. During the early 1960's
while LSD gained popularity as a drug for consciousness
expansion and pleasure, underground chemists used such ergot
alkaloid as ergotamine tartrate and ergonovine maleate as the
base for lhe preparation. After the illegalization of LSD stem
government controls were established in the USA limiting the
importation and sale of aU ergot alkaloids. ince that time one- of
the most diffirult tasks for the LSD chemist has been to obtain
suitable tarting materials for his work. Ergot and its derivatives
became illicit commod.i tie which were smuggled into the
country and sold al outrageous prices. Often they were severely
d iluted with others bstances ju t as cocaine and heroine are cut.
A serious underground chemist could not always be certain of
what he was buying . This situation is as bad today-if not worse.
We feel that it is time to offer some altern.atives to this
atrocious situation . Fortunate y unlimited amounts of ergot
alkaloids can be produced from a microscopic quantity of the
fungus by the relatively simple process of culti.vation in a
nutrient solution . Thi can be don at home in ordinary gaUon
Jugs .
Furthermore . there are a number of other sources of lysergic
add related materials in the plant kingdom. These include the
fungus Aspergillus clavatus, the seeds and other plant parts of
the common morning glory , and the seeds of both the large and
baby Hawaiian wood rose.
This book gi es complete in truction for large volume
cultzvation of ergot and aspergiUus with special nutrient
formulas for extra-high alkaloid yield. It also gives informatio n
on increasing the lysergic acid content of morning glories and
Hawaiian wood rose through soil chemistry and hormonal
treatment. ·w e also include det.ai ed direction for extracting the
alkaloidal materia l from each of the abo e source and
converting them in o l sergk acid suitable for the manufacture
of LSD~25 . Two methods are then given for the manufacture of
LSD-25. One uses lysergic acid as he base. The other uses an
lysergic acid-related substance such as unconverted ergot or
aspergilJus alkaloids nr lysergic acid amides derived directly
from morning glory or wood rose seeds. For Lh ose who wi h Lo
gel the most out of these processes we have inc:luded practical
instructions for purification of the product nd comp! Lt'
conversion or the main inactive impurity I isol ergic arid
diethylam ide ) to pure L' 0 . 25_
Mosl ,of the materials and equipm nt call d for in thi book are
readily available anywh re. The names and addre ses of

2
suppliers of the mo.re difficult to obtain substances, such as b lk
quantity morning glory a nd wood rose seed s and culture
materials, a 1"1e given at the e nd of this book .

LYSERGIC ACID AND ffl E LAW

Lysergic acid-related materi,al.s can be, derived from several

fungi. including ergot (Clauiceps purpurea), aspergiUus species
(a mold which grows on Roquefort cheese and long-stored
foods), .Rhizopus nigricans (found on breads, sweet potatoes and
peaches). and Geotrichum candidum (which occurs widely on
spoiled milk products and tomatoes).
These chemicals also occur naturally in seve ral plants of the
bindweed family including morning glory (/pomoea iolaceal,
baby Hawaiian wood rose (Argereia nervosa),, large Hawaiian
wood rose (Merremia tubero.sa), oloJuique {Rivea corymbosa)
and orne specie of Convoluulus and Stictocardia.
Although the possession o[ lysergic acid derivati es or any
plant material containing them is forbidden under Title 21 of the
nited States Code, this law is dearly unenforcibl . Morning
glories grow both wild and in gardens everywhere. The seeds are
a ailable legal:y from horticultural suppliers and herb vendors.
The seed pods of both the large and baby Hawaiian wood rose
are sold a.s dried ornamentals by many florists. To our knowledg·e
no one has ever been prosecuted for possession or use of any of
these plants. Officials of the former Burea u of Narcotics and
Dangerous Drugs have ventured their own guess as to how this
law would have to be inLerpreted . They have suggested that
simple poss ssion of these plants for ordinary horticultural
purposes is permissjble under the law, but that the moment .a
person consumes, processes or even grinds up these seeds he
has apparently stepped beyond the sanctions of horticulture and
has taken indictable steps towards using these materials for
illicit ''narcotic" purposes .
We are not trying to advis,e our reade rs as to how they may
skir through he loopholes of the law. We me·n tion these facts
onlv so that Lhe reader mav hav some concept of he confused
legal quagmire surrounding these plant materials. Nor are we
recommending that our readers vioJate any law by following the
procedures described in this book. We feel that it is our
responsibility to remind the reader that LSD-25 is illegal in
many countries induding the USA. We convey this information
purely as knowledge and hope that if anyone attempts to carry
oul the instructions contained he rein, he will do so only in a t i.me
and pla e wh re all of the mater.i als invoJved are legal to possess
and use.

J
 PREPARATIO . OFLYSERGICAGID
FROM ASPER.GILL.US CLAVATU8

1 ~ Starting the Cultur1e

It is necessary to establish strong strains of Aspergillus culture
before attempting to cultivate these in volume. To do so p,repare
or purchase "eady•made a malt-extract agar or agar, brown sugar .
milk medium. The medium is placed in cotton-stoppered slants or
in covered but not airtight Petrie dishes and innoculated by
submerging the· Aspergillus. Allow the culture to activate for 10
days at 27°C.

2) Large~Scal.e Cultivation

Prepare the required amount of nutrient solution u ing the

following formula:

50 g Mannitol
5. 4 g Succinic acid
lg Potassium acid phosphate
300 mg Magnesium sulfate (Mg SO4 7}t0),
100 mg Ferrous sulfate (FeSO4 7H 20)
100 mg Zinc sulfate (ZnSO4 7H2 O)
l m Hoagland A-Z. trace element concentrate (Seep. 15) 1

500 mg L-tryptophan.
10 g Acetamide

Dissolve in distilled water to mak,e l liter. Adjust to pH 2 with

ammonium hydroxide. If necessary t acidity can be increased with
citric acid. Sterilize nutrient.
Fill l gallon jugs about 2/3, way with nutrient solution. Sterilize
and let cool to room temperature. Remove samples of Aspergillus
culture from the surface of the starting medium and submerge in
the jugs of nutrient solution. Stop jugs with loose cotton, shake
solution thoroughly and let these sit for ttbout 2 w·e eks at room
temperature. The solution will tum doudy-white and the cu lture
will spread across its surface.

3) E traction

Filter the solution through a ny1on stocking or filter funnel with

suction flask. The olid filtrant !that which does not pass through
the filter} is cultural residue consisting mostly of mycelium.
Discard thl . Adjust the solution to pH 3 with tartaric acid solution
(diluted hydrochloric acid or acetic acid may a]so he used),. Extract
impurities in a separatory funnel by combining each 1 liter of

4
solut'on with 350 ml of th_ l acetate , shaking w -11. allowing
mixlur to sit whi le separation occurs and removing and
discarding the ethyl acetate· layer, which contains the impurities .
Repe-at this procedure using fresh ethyJ acetate. Adju L the
solution to pH 8 with 5 % sodium carbonate solution. Repeal the
et hyl acetate washi.n g two more times . Boil off excess waler from
the solution unde r reduced pressure (vacuum pump) . oncentrale
ach liter of solution to about 100 ml. Prepar a 15'1, pota sium
hyd roxide solution in water and methanol , equaJ vol umes. lTh i
1

solution can be purchased ready-made from Fi h r Chemical

Company . I Add 20 ml f thi preparation to each 100 m) of
concentrate . Boil this m ixture for about hours al atmo ph rir
pr ure. Allow most of the liquid to boil awa until a syru p
.remains. Adju t this syrup to pH 6 with hydro hloric acid.
Because of the extreme alkalinity of the syrup it wrn require q uite
a lot ,o f acid to make the adju tment. Pour the yrup into wat,ch
glasses or glass baking dishe and aJJow so) ent to evaporate.
Ly e rgic acid crystallizes i.n lea nets ~melting point = 240 ° CL
Further purification can be accomplished by repeated r cry tarnz.
ation of leaflets from succes ive batches of distilled water. Before
using the lysergic add for _ nthesi of LSD-25 it mu t be
extremely dry. To accomplish t his dry it in a d es icator over
lithium a luminum hydride for se eral da . The product will
contain approximately o/c normal destrorotary lyse rgir add and
12% isolysergic acid. These isomers need not be separated to use
:t his materia.l for ma nufactu r,e of LSD·25.

PREPARATIO OF LY ERGIC A ID
.FROM E RGOT ,(CLA VI CEP PURPUREA ) C LTURE

I I St arting c.he Culture

Pre pare a nutrient medium using the foHowing formula:

100 g Sucrose
50 g Chick pea (gar banzo) m e al:
1g Cakium nitrate
250 mg Monopotassium pho phate
250 mg Magn sium sulfat ( 1g 0-1 7H 2 0} 4
124 mg Potassi um chloride
JOO m,g Ferrou su!fate ire O 7Hz()l
100 mg Zinc su lfa e (Zn' 0 4 7H 20I
I ml Hoagland A-Z trace element concentra te (Se,e p. 15)

5
 Dissolv,e in distilled water to make 1 liter. Adjust to pH 4 with
ammonium hydroxide solution to increase alkalinity or citric acid
to focrease acidity. Steriliz,e nutrient. ·This medium is placed in
cotton-stoppered slants or in covered but not airtight Petrie dishes
and innoculated with ergot. Temperature is maintained at 27 ° C;
pH 4 is maintained by periodic testing and adjustm.e nt. Tbe·
culture .is allowed to grow for 2 weeks under these conditions.
After this time clusters of tbe fungus will be seen on the surface.

2) Large-Scale Production
Construct aer:ated culture jugs as in the diagram below.

10 FfflV)

c--Fu(.K
PIIIC~
c:r ~ YIIR.U

In a blend<:r homogenizfl' the activated ergot culture with its

growing media. :rm all culture jugs 3/4 way with the formula
gi"Pn above . Inoculate thP jugs with portions of the homogenized
adive ergot culture. Keep jugs out of bright light al 25° C' for 10
days with 1._·on~hrnl aeration . After 10 days adjust the culture w
1 'fr, ethanol hy introducing 2 oz. of 50/50 ethanol/water solution at
injection po:int . Aeration must be momentarily stopped Lo do this.

6
A soon as ethanol solution is added reconnect glass tubing to
rubber tubing at injection point and resume aerati n. L growth
conti.nue for 14 more days.

3) -fE traction

After the total 24 days growth the culture is made acidic with
tartaric acid solution and homogenized in a blender. After I hour
adjust this to pH 9 with ammonium hydroxide solution. Extract in
a separation funnel with benzene or 50/50 chloroform/isobutanol.
Extract again with alcoholic tartaric acid. Evaporate to dryness
under reduced pressure. The dried product is the tartrate salt of
the mixed ergot alkaloids. ln this form i.t .is fairly stab]e. It must be
converted to the less stable free base befo.re commencing
synthesis of LSD-25. To do so adjust to pH 9 with ammonium
hydroxide, extract in chloroform. and evaporate chloroform under
reduced pressure.

CULT[V ATING MORNING GLORIES

WITH HIGH LYSERGIC ACID CONTENT

Ge·neral Growing Information

Morning glories grow wild or are easily raised in the garden.

ow seeds in their permanent location aft r danger of frosl has
passed. The seed should be soaked in water o ernight hefore
planting to oft n the hard s,e ed coat and hasten g rmination.
ome growers recommend nicking the seed coat with a sharp knif
or singi edge razor blade. This is not necessary if the seeds are
oaked. The toxin which ome seed companies put on morning
glory .s eds to d1scourage ingestion do not. affect plants which are
grown from them. Plant seeds not less than 6 inches apart and 1 :z
inch deep under fine oil. Provide [ nc . tr His, stakes. string or
other sup po.rt for the ,·ines .
, t aU sp ci and eulti ar of morning glory yield lys rgic add
amid1:·: . l! only Hean•nly Blue. Pearly Gates. Flying aucers.
-.ummt:>r 'kies. \\'edding BeJls or Blue 'tar varieties . ,.f hese are all
ruhiv<!r ~ of lpomocu 1·iolac<'a . everaJ p-'rit>s of Mexican morning
~lnry al o yit:>ld lysergic acid producl . hul are not commonly
u\·ailahl • in thP United States. The ti include Badoh egro and
( loliuqui IRil·ea corymbos.a).

7
 Techniques for Iner-e a ing Lysergic Acidl Yield

Soil chemistry greatly influences lysergic acid yield. Because of

species differenc,e s and variations in soil and other -e nvironment.al
conditions. the total indole alkaloid yield of the seeds may ran.g,e
b tween .005 % and .0 % : in other words, properly selected and
cultivated seed may contain up to 16- times as much alkaloids as
others. ·
For highesl alkaloid production the soil should have a pH factor
of aboul 6 .5, a low potassium and high phosphate content. This
can be checked with a soil test kit available at most nurseries or
from Sears. A high phosphate content increases the formation of
irfdole alkaloids . Low concentrations of potassium !approximately
1.5 per 100 parts dry soil)1 assists free tryptophan accumulation
and biosynthesis and produces low indoleacetic acid content
resulting in i.ncreased formati.on of indole alkaloids . To balance
soil in this manner u e odium nitrate a a nitrogen source instead
of potas ~ium nitrate. For phosphate conte·nt use sodium acid
phosphate instead of potas ium acid phosphate.
Hormones also have ab neficial •e ffect on alkaloid production in
morning glories . Prepare a solution of 1 g gibberellic acid in ] lite·r
distilled wat r. When the plants are in the seedling stage place a
few drops of this solution on thP soil aroum.l each plant befor-e
watering. Repeat Lhi procedure once every two weeks increasing
the amount as ithe ine grows until the pl.ant achieves fuH growth.
At this tim~ the do age of gibberellic acid solut' on should be up to
h oz . per plant. Although this hormone stimulates growth and
alkaluid formation it also delays maturity and inhibits the
production of flowers and seed . Its us must be discontinued .a
few we,e ks befo.r e normal flowering time.
Gibberellic acid is avatlable from chemical compani,e s for about
$5 per gram. U it cannot be obtained a· a raw ch mica I there are
several products available which contain this hormone. Some of
the trade names are: Gibrel. Gibberellen, BigGrow, G .A. , Big
Tabs, Gib Sol. Brellin. and Plant Shoot.
Another type of hormone t.hat increases alkaloid yield i alpha
naphthalene acetic acid or any similar growth inhibiting auxins .
Although the g.r eate,s t concentrations of lysergic acilf amides
are in the seeds of the morning glor_ , they are a1so present in the
leav,e s and stems. Actually , because lhere is a greater mass of
(,e aves and stems per plant than there is of eeds there is a greater
total content of these alkaloids per plant in the herbace-ous parts
than in the seeds .

Lysergic acid amides are produced in.several other plants of t he

bindweed family including baby Hawaii.an wood rose eds. which
may contain three to six times as much per weight of seed as
morning glory. These plants grow abundantly in such places as
Maui and produce two crops -o f seeds annually . They are not
practical to cultivate for seeds in cooler climates. If you are living

8
in the Islands, t he soil condition and hormone treatm nt
information described for morning glorie can prove va1uable for
increasing alkaloid yield of any of the psychoactive wood rose .

EXTRACTIO OF LYSERGIC ACID AMIDES

FROM MORNI G GWRY OR BABY HAW AIIA
WOOD ROSE SEEDS
G:rind the seeds to a fine powder in a blender or oth r grinding
device. Saturate the pulverized seed with ligroin . naphtha or
lighter fluid (non- cented) to fonn a lorry. Pack the slurried
seeds into a chromatography column. Arrange a drop funnel
above the column to lowly drip one of th s solvent through t he
slurry for several hours . The purpose of this i to r mo the
unwanted fatty oi] from the seeds. Te t periodi all_v to ee if all of
these oiJs are gone. Th.is is done by taking a amp I drop of the
solvent after it has passed through the olumn and allowing it t,o
e aporate on a clean watch gla . If it lea e a gr as. film or tain .
continue dripping solvent through it . If it e apora e dean. thi
step has been completed . lt should take about 5 oz. o:lvent per
one oz. seeds to accompl.i sh this . . ol ,e nt may be rec ded for
future· use b distma ion.
ix 900 ml chlo ofonn with 100 ml concentrated ammonium
h droxide solution in a separatory funnel. hake well and aVow ·t
to settle . ollect the chloroform la_ er from the bottom and di card
the top la er. Drip the ammoniacal chloroform solution through
the column and a e the extract. T t frequently to see if any
alkaloids remain in the lurry. This is done by dropping a sample
of the tract a it comes from the column on a watch glass and
evaporating i . Observe the watch glass under black light. If it
fluoresces at all flight blue L there are stiU alkaloids in the slurry
and extraction must continue. As soon a · .it no longer fluoresces
top th extraction.
Evaporate the chloroform extracts. Collect the residue and
di solve it in the least possible amount of a 3 tartaric acid
solution. The approximate number of moles of alkaloid present
can now be determined by coloring the solution with acid-base
indi.c ator and titrating with this acid.
Transf r the olution to a separatory funnel. Rin e the flask
with ome tartaric acid solution and add these wa hings to the
funn I. Make this solution basic with sodium bicarbonate solution.
Add an equal volume of chloroform. Shake well and allow to
settle. Collect th bottom layer. Add another equal volume of
chlorof~rm. shake. let settle and collect the bottom layer. Reduce
the combined chloroform extracts to a :solid by evaporation .

9·
 Scrape up and co ect his substance with a stainle s steel spatula.
This i a mixtur of semi-pure lysergic acid amides a.nd can b .·
u ed as the tarting material for the manufacture of LSD-25 by
emplo. ing one formula gi en later in this book, or con erted into
d-1 rgir acid for use in the other formuta.

CO . ERTi G LYS~RGIC ACID AMIDES

TO D-LYSERGIC ACID

Prepare a 15 % potassium hydroxide solution in water and

methanol , equal volumes lor purchase this · olution ready-mad
from F'isher Chemical Company!. Dis.solve 50 g lysergic acid
amides in l liter of methanolic potassium hydroxide. Evaporate
th methanol under reduced pressure . Dissolve the residue in l
liter of l""l potas ium hydroxide and water solution. Heat thi for
one hour in a heat bath w i1e pass.ing through it a stream of
nitrog n. a shown in the diagram below. If you are counting the
mo] of alkaloid pre ent. the reaction may be followed by
titrat io n ,i..·ith hydrochloric acid of the ammonia which is evolved in
the proce s.

~
lt:)S,E.
1 IJU 81.. rat tf-1,.o+
./ Mu. ~

.,,.
/. .•

If the reaction is not being followed the titration funnel acid-base indicator and
overflow gas trap flask may be dispensed with. If this is the case use a two-hole
stopper on glass tubing in the second flask as an outlet for gas pressure.

IO
 When ammonia gas is no longer being evol ed the reaction is
completed. This should take about one· hour. Neutralize this
mixture with tartaric acid, tiesting with pH indicator-neutral
to conga red. Filter the solution through filter paper. Pour liquid
filtrate into a separatory funnel, add an equal volume of ether.
shake well, and allow to settle . Separate and discard the eth~r
layer. Filter lhe water layer through fi ter paper . Evaporate the
liquid filtrate under reduced pre ure. The residue remaining will
be mostly d•lysergic acid crystals. These may be purified fur hPr
by repeated r,e crystallizations from successi e batche of di tiUed
water .

MAKI .G LSD-25
- Two methods for the preparation of L D-25 will be given here .
The first require ly rgic acid as the starting chemical . The
s.econd can u a the starting chemical l.. ergic add or any
derivative such a fre base ergot alkaloid or unc- nve rled
lysergic acid amide deri ed from morning gl ~ - o,r w od ro~
seeds .
Becau e the ly ergic acid deri a.live produced in thl~ readions
of thes proce. e are d comp e-d by lighl il i. necP~~ar. to
establi h darkro m condition illuminat d only h:,,· red or y llow
photographic darkr om light . a d -cribed bt'lnv.- . Hay available
a black d th with which o c r lh reagl•nt whenen.•r lights
mu t be turn d on . Ruhh r glo e hould be worn to prevent
ab orption of rgot alkaloid through the hand .

PREPARATIO OF L D-~5 FROM 0-LYSERGIC ACID

n/ orlt um(. .vellow li[,!"ht.
•r
uspt-nd 42 . g of d-ly ergic acid in 1 liter of acetonitrile. Cool
tht·. uspt-1nsion to about -20°C in a bath of dry ice and acetone. At
tht• sam timP di so v~ 70.56 g of trifluoracelic acid in 600 ml of
ar tonitrile and cool this fla k to -.2 0°(' in the ice bath . Add the
con e-nl. of this flask to the su pension. stir and Jet tand for about
two hours . During this time the mat-eria.1 in suspension will
d i:... <WI:' and th d-ly ergic add will be converted into ly ergic acid
anhydrid mi d with trifluoroacetic acid anh. dride.

und('t ri•d light un.(_v.

; ·uw !t'ork
Dissolve 60. g of di,e thylamine in 1200 ml of acetonLrile. Allow
lh mi ed anhydride olution from the pre ious steps to warm to

II
room temperature and add them to the diethyfamine / acetonitr·1
solution. Let this mixture stand in darkne s for a bout 2 1 ~ hours.
Evaporate t.he acetoniLrile under reduced pre ure. Th residue
remaining is LSD-25 with various impuritie . Di sol · e thi residu
in 1200 ml of chloroform and 160 ml of ice water. Shake thi
mixl.ure well in a eparatory funnel, let settle and colleet the
chloroform layer. Add fresh chloroform to the water layer and
repeat extraction. Collect the chloroform la_•er and repeat
chloroform extraction one more time . The combined chloroform
extractions a.r e th n dri.ed under reduced pre sure over anhydrou
odium sulfate. The product is fairly pure L 0-25 . Further
purification i not nee s ary. but may be a complished by
r n. stallization .

PREPARATJO . OF LSD-25
FROM A Y LYSERGIC ACID DERIVATIVE

"1 ·o,-k ,w cl er ,\ ·el/me lip h l .

ln a roundbottom fla k ombine two · olumes of Jysergic add
d ri\·ati\'e with four vol um~ · of anhydrous hydrazine. Set the flask
in a hot oi) bath and arrange an inert atmosphere as hown in
diagram bel w.

RI& WYN L4SEF6k:. ""11EfiP(.S l ~ ·[

IH ~ ~ N ~ ~
 Heat this mixture for 30 minutes at 112 ° C.. Add thre volumes
of bot water and boil for 15 minutes. Cool in a refrigerator for
several hours. lso-lysergic acid hydrazide will crystallize.

Now work under red light only.

In an ice bath chill all chemicals to be used to 0°C. Keeping the
reaction flask in the ice bath rapidly clissolv,e 28.2 g of the
iso-lysergic acid bydrazide in 1 liter of 0.1 ormal hydrochloric
acid. Add 1 liter of 0. l Normal sodium nitrate solution and stir
vigorously for 3 minutes. 1300 ml of 0.1 Normal hydrochloric
acid is then added dropwise to the solution with vigorou
stirring. After the la.st drop is added allow the olution to sit in
the ice bath for 5-10 minutes. Neutralize the solution with
sattuated sodium bicarbonate solution. Combine the solution in a
sep,are.tory funnel with an equal volume of ether. Shake well and
let settle. Collect the ether portion and measure it in milliliters.
Try to keep the gummy substance in the ether portion dissol ed.
Add 10 ml of diethylamine for every 100 ml of ether extract.
Allow this to stand in total darkne sat room temperature for 24
hours. Evaporate the ether under reduced pres ure. The product
is mostly iso-lysergic acid cliethylam·de and mu t be converted to
LSD-25.

CONVERSIO OF 1S0-LYSERGIC A ID
DIETHYLAMIDE TO LSD-25

Work under red light only.

Dissolve the residue containing the, i o-LSD in a minimum a-
mount of methanol. Stir in twice lhal olume or 4 ormal metha-
nolic potassium hydroxide solution. Let this mixture stand at room
temperature for 3-4 hours . Neutralize with dilute hydrochloric
acid . Make the solution slightly basic with ammon ·um hydroxide
solution. Combine the solution in a sepaTatory fo nne I with an
equal olu.me of chloroform {or ethylene dichloride). shake well.
let ettle, collect chloroform layer and discard water layer. Repeal
extraction with another portion of chloroform. Wash chloroform
extracts 4 times in a separatory funnel with a 25 % volume of
water. Evaporate the combined chloroform extraction under re•
due d pressure. The product i now a mixtur of mostly lysergic
acid diethylamide and ome i O•lysergic acid diethylamide. The
iso~L Dis not psychoactive. but the product may be afely used.

13
 SEPARATION OF LSD-25 FROM ISO-LSD

To salvage and conv•e rt the is o-impurities one must resort to

column chromatography as follows.
Work under total darkness or with a minim um amount of m·
direct red lig ht
The mixed LSD isom ers are dissolved in. benzene/chloroform
3/ 1 solution, Use 50 ml of t he solvent for ,e ach gram of LSD
isomers. Pack a one~inch width chromatography column to six
inches length with a slurry of basic alumina in benzene. Drain the
solvent lo the top of the alumina column and carefully add an
aliquot portion of the LSD.isomer solution to the column. As the
solution runs through the column tum out any red light pr,e sent
and follow the chromatographic movement with a long wave ultra-
violet light . Use the UV light as sparingly as possible . It too can
damage the product. Follow the fastest~moving blue fluorescent
band. This is LSD.25. Collect this portion of the column and store
in a light-proof container.
CoHect the alumina containing the second fraction from the
column . This contains the iso-LSD. Place it in a filter funel and
wash it with methanol. until UV light indicates that there is no
more fluorescing material remaining in it. Collect the methanol
washings and evaporate them under reduced pressure.
To con ert thls iso-LSD product follow the steps described in
the se,ction en.titled Co.n version of lso·LSD to LSD-25. The product
is then rechromatographed as described above. If the second
chromatographk separation yields a considerable amount of i.so-
LSD. this can be stripped w·th methanol a.s before. converted to
LSD-25 and chromatographed again for purity. These steps can be
repeated until the remaining amoun of iso-LSD is negligible and
not worth the effort of further conversion and separation.
The collected alumina from the fastest moving fluorescent band
of each chromatographing is combined and stripped with wash-
ings of methanol. The collected methanol washings are evapo-
rated under reduced pressure to a syrup. This syrup is then
allowed to crystallize slowly. This material can be converted into
the more stable LSD tartrate by treatment with tarto:ric acid and
then crystallized. Melting point l 90.. l96°C.

14
 PREPARATION OF HOAGLAND A-Z CONCENTRATE

Hoagland (A-Z) Reagent" is a balanced combination of trace

elem.e nt concentrate which is added to nutrient solutions to insure
that all trace minerals are present in the culture. Their presence
apparently helps to increase alkaloid yield. It is prepared as two
eparate solutions. The desired amount is mixed from equal por-
tions of solution A and B immediately before use . Shake both
solutions well before mixing.

Soluwon A : In 500 c. c. of distilled water dissolve l g Al 2'( 0 4 ) , I g

CO( 03) .6H2O. lg CuSO4.SH2O, 11 g H1BO3, 7 MoCh.4H 2 O,
500 mg LiCI, 1 g iS04.6H 20. 500 mg KI. 500 mg KBr, 500 mg
· nCl2.2H2O, I g TiO2, I g ZnSO4.

Solution B : In 500 c .c. of distilled water dis olve 100 mg As2 Oa,
500 mg BaCl2. 100 mg B"(N03)2,. 100 mg CdCl2, 100 mg H2 W04,
500 mg H2SeO , 500 mg Mo02, 100 mg HgC1 2, 500 mg KCr04 ,
100 mg KF . 100mg P bCh, JOO mg Rb2 0 4 , 100 mg VCl2, 500 mg
Sr O .

STERILE CO .DJTIO S

It is easy to infect cultures with stronger bacterial o,r fungal

strains that will overrun and des roy the cul ure you are attemp -
ing to raise . To pr,e vent this it i ne essary to sterilize the culture
medium prior to 'noculation . This is done by autoclaving. Heat the
container of medium to 212 ° F and maintain at that temperature
for 30 minute . AUow the medium to cool to room temperatur,e
befor,e inoculating. AU Petr·e di he and equipment which win
come in contact with the medium or the inoculum mus . be sim ilar-
ly sterilized .
Care mu t be tak n in working with the cuJtu re , e p cia!ly in
transferrin the inoculum to the medium. The environme:1tal con-
ditions must he free from any po sible contaminants . Th e follo· -
ing points should be observed. Work in a clean. unclutt•>red.
dust-free room. Immediately before beginning work wash the
wor:k table and spra the room with disinfectant. Scrub your arms,

1S
hands and fmgernails wit.h disinfectant soap. Wear simple cloth-
ing that is freshly cleaned. A short,sleeved t-shirt is ideal. A clean
cloth or di posable surgeon's mask should cover the mouth and
nose . ·G argle with antiseptic mouthwash for added precaution.
Cover hair with a surgeon 's cap or showeir cap. Let no drafts enter
the room. Close windows, stuff door jambs. Allow no animals,.
insects or unnecessary people in the room. Let only sterilized
equi.pm.ent touch the medium and inoculum. Do not lean over the
work . Avoid swi:t movements that may create drafts. Be neat and
keep all materials within reach.

SUPPLIE.RS

Bulk quantity untreated morning glory seeds, baby Hawaiian

wood rose se,e ds and large Hawaiian wood rose seeds are· available
inexpensively from. Magic Garden Herb Co., POB 332, Fairfax.,.
Calif. 94930.

Viabl,e morning g)o,ry seeds ior cultiva ion are available from
Redwood City Seed Co .. POH 361, Redwood.City, Calif. 94061.

P,·epared culture media and related materials can be obtained

from DIFCO Laboratories, Detroit, Mich. 48232.

Any of the chemicals mentioned in this book are available from

hundred of chemical companies throughout the United States.
Rather than attempt to list all of these in this little book we refer
the reader to Chemical Sources USA, a directory found on the
reference shel.f of most university libraries. This directory con~
tains an a. phabetica.J listing of chemicals with a complete list of
names and addresses of suppliers fo,r each item. If you cannot find
this directory in your library, it may be purchased through mail
order from the publisher: Directories Publishing Company , Inc ..
Flemington , ew Jersey.

If there i any difficulty in obtaining pure ergot fungus for cultiva-

tion, a tirp to a field of rye or some other grain should get you what
you want. The infected grains have a dark-purplish or black ,c olor.
Examine these under a microscope and compare them to photo-
graphs of Clauiceps purpurea in any textbook on. mycology. Do not
let the ergotized grains become contaminated during or after
collection.
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