Cocaine
Cocaine(benezoylmehtylecgonine) is a chemical obtained from leaves of coca plants. It is stimulant and inhibitor of certain structures in human body. It can cause anaesthesia in low doses and may lead to heart attack at high doses.Chemistry
Cocaine(benezoylmehtylecgonine)
IUPAC Name:
methyl (1R,2R,3S,5S)-3- (benzoyloxy)-8-methyl-8-azabicyclo[3.2.1] octane-2-carboxylate
Formula: C17H21NO4
Appearance: white powder
Cocaine molecules contains both hydrophobic and hydrophilic packets, which enables it to breakdown barriers between hydrophobic and hydrophilic structures.
History
Coca, the source of cocaine, is one of the oldest drugs in the world. Around three thousand years ago, Incas started to chew coca leaves to live in the thin air of mountains.
Cocaine is first isolated from coca leaves in 1859. The drug then spread widely and rapidly because people did not realise the harmfulness of it. (Coca leave was one of the ingredients coca-cola, which was added in1886)
At the beginning of 20th century, people start to understand the danger of the drug. Coca was removed from coca-cola in 1930 due to public pressure. USA government banned cocaine in 1922 as well.
However, the use of the drug was not fully controlled. Even up to 1970s cocaine was widely used by entertainers and businesspeople to keep them energetic.
Cocaine is still one of the most trafficked drugs in the world now.
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