“Cocaine is a Highly Addictive Amine”

Cocaine is a powerful nitrogen-containing compound that acts both as a stimulant, making a person temporarily increase alertness and awareness, increasing the activity of the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) or the Central Nervous System (CNS) or both. Cocaine also acts as a depressant, a chemical agent that diminishes the function or activity of a specific part of the body, regarding the central nervous system.

Cocaine is obtained from the Erythroxyium coco plant, extracting the cocaine from the leaves with aqueous hydrochloric acid. It is said that “the extraction of the cocaine converts the amine B, which is not very soluble, into its ionic hydrochloride from BH+Cl -, which is high soluble and is therefore transferred efficiently from the leaves into the watery acid. Excess water is then evaporated from the solution which then forms a solid, white residue that remains which is the salt cocaine hydrochloride.

As cocaine is formed either as a powder or as solid rocks, the power substance can be snorted as a powder and the white solid rocks are put in water to dissolve and injected. By snorting cocaine, it begins to dissolve on the water mucous membranes of the nose and enters the bloodstream and conveyed into the brain. When injected, the cocaine enters the bloodstream directly with a faster and stronger effect because the concentration in increased. Cocaine hydrochloride cannot be smoked because it is an ionic solid with a high melting point, therefore it does not evaporate much when heated. However, “crack cocaine” can be smoked as it consists of the “free-base” of cocaine rather that its hydrochloride salt. The base producing the salt is produced by reacting it with a substance called sodium bicarbonate (Na+ HCO3-) or ammonia (NH3), which extracts the H+ ions. This is why cocaine appears in a white for, however crack cocaine can be of a yellowish, brown substance.

Cocaine is highly addictive as it “operates biochemically by affecting the level of the neurotransmitter Dopamine which is produced in the brain. Dopamine helps to regulate the movement, attention and blood in our body. When cocaine enters the body, it can affect a person within 20 minutes, causing hyperactivity, restlessness, high blood pressure, increased heart rate, increases personal confidence and euphoria. If cocaine is taken in an excessive dosage, it can produce itching, Tachycardia, hallucinations, paranoia and delusions. Severe consequences can lead to respiratory failure, a stroke, cerebral hemorrhage and even can cause heart failure. This usually occurs when the cocaine wears off causing severe depression since Dopamine production drops due to the abundance of the substance in the brain. This then causes the drug user to crave for another dose due to the addiction. This is because the continuing presence of the Dopamine molecules in the synapse region allows the molecules to gradually destroy the enzymes in the body.

Cocaine blocks the reabsorbtion of Dopamine onto sites as its original transmission nerve fiber, thereby increasing the Dopamine concentration in the synapse region. This then leads to the attachment of Dopamine onto its receptor sites causing their stimulation, which is what gives the drug user a “high” sensation.
Cocaine has had a long and controversial history. In previous years, the South American Indians used to achieve the same result by using lime and combining it with the coca leaves which they then used to chew and eat. Native people in Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador traditionally used to chew the leaves for mystical experiences and religious reasons, as well as to obtain its stimulant effects. It also used to be used as a local anesthetic during and after nasal and eye surgery, not only by indigenous people, but even by dentists in developed countries during the 19th century. During the day, Sigmund Freud, a scientist and doctor, used Cocaine to treat his patients with depression.

I think that is very clever how they produced cocaine from natural plants, rather than some drugs being created and made artificially. It goes to show how a natural plant grown in native countries can cause the risk of so many lives. My personal opinion is that, more so, the younger generation experiment with cocaine more than adults because they are curious in the drugs. This then leads to many younger people to be addicted to the cocaine, especially if influenced by peer-pressure.


Euphoria - a feeling of happiness, confidence, or well-being sometimes exaggerated in pathological states as mania.
Dopamine - Biochemistry. a catecholamine neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, retina, and sympathetic ganglia, acting within the brain to help regulate movement and emotion: its depletion may cause Parkinson's disease.
Tachycardia - A rapid heart rate, especially one above 100 beats per minute in an adult.
Cerebral Hemorrhage - hemorrhage from a blood vessel into the cerebrum, often followed by neurologic damage; a type of stroke.


[1] Braid. Chemistry in Your Life. 2nd ed. New York, USA: W.H.Freeman and Company; 2006. pp 303-305