WHY TEST KETAMINE?

As ketamine has become more popular, an increasing number of drugs are being misrepresented and sold as ketamine. These include PCP analogs, ketamine analogs, benzodiazepines, and other novel dissociatives. These drugs all have different effects and durations, different safety profiles, and need to be dosed differently.

NOTE! Mandelin reagent has been used to test ketamine in the past, but it is often inconsistent and can produce similar reactions with many other drugs besides ketamine. We no longer recommend using Mandelin reagent to test ketamine.

HOW TO TEST KETAMINE?

Use Morris reagent.

NOTE! Although still rare, we are seeing increasing cases of ketamine being contaminated with fentanyl and/or amphetamines. Use our immunoassay test strips to test your ketamine before you consume it. Read and follow the instructions carefully for each type of strip.

MORRIS REAGENT WORKS DIFFERENTLY

Most reagents contain acids that break down molecules through a chemical reaction, dissolving the drug entirely and producing a color change almost immediately. Morris reagent is different because it simply comes in contact with the molecules and changes colors if those molecules belong to specific drugs (like ketamine). That’s why you need to stir the mixture after you place one drop from each bottle onto the sample. Stirring mixes the two solutions together so you can see the proper, final color. Use a toothpick or the point of a sharp knife and stir thoroughly for a full 30 seconds.

Ketamine is the only drug we know of that turns purple in the end. Most drugs don’t react at all, and end up a dull green color. This is the color you will see simply by combining one drop of each liquid together, with no drug sample at all. We call this a “blank” and you may find it useful to put a blank on your plate first, to see what it looks like. The vast majority of drugs will not react with Morris reagent, producing this color.

When you drop the first drop onto your sample from bottle A (the pink liquid), you may see specks of blue appear, as in the photo to the right. Ignore this. Many substances will do this. It’s only after adding a drop from the second bottle and stirring that you will see the proper and final color.

CAUTION! We know of at least one company that also sells a version of Morris reagent. They sell primarily to law enforcement, and their product consists of small ampules that you break open inside a clear, plastic pouch. This method does not work. It does not reveal enough color detail to distinguish between various drugs, and can often produce false positives. Do not use a test tube. You must use a white, ceramic plate as your testing surface and stir the mixture as described below.

HELP US LEARN MORE ABOUT MORRIS REAGENT

Although we tested dozens of drugs with Morris reagent and none of them reacted like ketamine (most didn’t react at all), there may be some we haven’t tested that do turn purple, or that produce a unique color of their own. If you discover a drug that reacts with Morris reagent (that does not turn dull green), please email a photo of the reaction to eman@dancesafe.org

Notes on Other Dissociatives

We tested the following novel dissociatives and only two of them, deschloroketamine (DCK) and 2-fluoro-deschloroketamine (2-FDCK), reacted at all. They both turned a dark blue/gray color. All the others turned dull green, indicating a non-reaction. The following dissociatives are non-reactive:

• phencyclidine (PCP)
• deschloro-n-ethyl-ketamine (2-OXO-PCE) • 3-methoxy-PCP (3-MeO-PCP)
• 3-chloro-PCP (3-Cl-PCP)
• 3-methoxy-PCE (3-MeO-PCE)
• 2-oxo-PCE (O-PCE)
• methoxpropamine (MXPr) • methoxetamine (MXE)
• ephenidine (EPE)
• diphenidine (DPD)

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