Ephedra and Pseudoephedrine Are Not the Same Molecule

After our discussion on Feast of Fools I dug up a little online research to see what the chemical diffence was between ephedra (from the herb) and pseudoephedrine (manufactured) was.

Ephedrine and Pseudoephedrine molecules. 

You’ll notice that the structure is exactly the same except for a bond between the HO part of the molecule (indicated by red arrow).

Photos and research courtesy of Wikipedia entries for Ephedrine and Pseudoephedrine. Compare to the structure of Methamphetamine


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3 responses to “Ephedra and Pseudoephedrine Are Not the Same Molecule”

  1. Fausto Fernos Avatar

    Yes, er um, very interesting. zzzz. Whats your point?

    Ephedrine was a fabulous drug to take before a workout (cadio) but it also caused a lot of heart attacks from what I hear.

  2. Andy Avatar
    Andy

    The point, my flaming blue-haired pal, is that the ma huang and the decongestant aren’t interchangeable.

  3. Andy B Avatar

    I love a cute guy who’s smart! I just listened to your conversation with Fausto on Feast of Fools on my way to work today. Interesting listening you to go on about the gay blog/podcasting mafia, or whatever. I never knew there was such a community. Such a nice new find to find you. I’ll have to give you a listen when I get home.

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