Purpose of Oral Freebasing?

[King Tryptamine]

Wasn't too sure on the whereabouts of posting a topic like this, anyway...

I've recently developed a borderline sinister habit of coca chewing and one question I have that keeps popping up is just how the alkaline substance used in conjunction with the plant material works in increasing the efficacy or delivery of the alkaloids be it the cocaine in coca, nicotine in tobacco, arecoline in betel nuts, etc...

The answer I've often thought about was that the corrosive property of these proton acceptors helps break down the plant matter aiding in the dispersal of the alkaloids as well as other compounds trapped within the plant material. However can't acids be used for this purpose is well? Especially considering the fact that the salts formed are more water soluble than there freebase counterparts and appear more easily absorbed by internal membranes, be it the oral or nasal mucosa, so why wouldn't it make more sense to use an acid instead of a base for this purpose?

 

[Hyper Turtle]

I think this was an interesting question, even though i have no coca to chew

I found out that german wikipedia's entry for coca is much more detailed than the english one. I'll translate a small but very relevant part from the section about usage.

...
Die gekauten Blätter bilden, zusammen mit Kalk und anderen Hilfssubstanzen (zum Beispiel Pflanzenasche, Quechua llipt’a), eine sogenannte bola. Zur Herstellung der llipt’a dienen verschiedene Pflanzenarten, darunter Chenopodium quinoa (ilucta), Chenopodium pallidicaule und Baccharis-Arten.

Untersuchungen haben darüber hinaus gezeigt, dass beim Kauen von Coca-Blättern der von der Andenbevölkerung jeweils praktizierte Zusatz von Kalk das ursprünglich in den Blättern vorhandene Alkaloid Kokain durch alkalische Hydrolyse in das Alkaloid Ecgonin umwandelt, ein Alkaloid, dem jedes Suchtpotenzial fehlt.
...

The chewed leaves, together with calcium hydroxide and other helper substances (eg. plant ashes, Quechua llipt'a), form a so-called bola. Various plant species serve to make the llipt'a, including Chenopodium quinoa (ilucta), Chenopodium pallidicaule and Baccharis species.

Beyond that, studies have shown that the addition of calcium hydroxide, as practiced by the Andean population, by alkaline hydrolysis converts the alkaloid Cocaine originally contained in the leaves into the alkaloid Ecgonine, which lacks any potential for addiction.

From the back of my head, i think the calcium hydroxide typically comes from ground shells.

* edited to correct mistranslated calcium carbonate to calcium hydroxide.

 

[downwardsfromzero]

The freebase absorbs more readily through the oral mucosa than the protonated alkaloid does.

"Kalk" here is taken to mean calcium hydroxide. Calcium carbonate is insufficiently basic (or at the very least, insufficiently soluble) for this purpose. Burnt snail shells are an effective source of calcium hydroxide.

 

[Hyper Turtle]

Oh, thanks downwardsfromzero for pointing that out!

I'll edit my translation real quick.

 

[King Tryptamine]

About bloody time guys, Thank you!