Description

Molly is short for “molecular.” It was given this nickname because this ecstasy comes in powder or
crystallized form, not in traditional pill form. Molly can be purchased in capsule form or in a
baggie, and it can be swallowed or snorted. The name change coincided with a boom in popularity
in electronic dance music (EDM). The new name appears to have attracted a new cohort of
youngsters to ecstasy (possibly as a marketing tactic). It’s not uncommon for party drugs to have
female nicknames (for instance, methamphetamine is also known as Tina).

Origin

German chemists originally synthesized MDMA, or ecstasy, for pharmaceutical purposes in 1912.
During the Cold War, the CIA experimented with MDMA as a psychological weapon. Ecstasy had
become a popular party drug by the late 1980s, and it’s recreational use is often associated with
rave culture, dance parties and electronic music festivals.

German chemists discovered 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or MDMA, in 1912 while

developing other medicines that could stop bleeding.

The substance, they discovered, had unique psychoactive properties. The pharmaceutical
company Merck patented MDMA in 1914 as a compound that could have pharmaceutical value.

Active Ingredient

There are numerous methods available to synthesize MDMA via different intermediates. The
original MDMA synthesis described in Merck's patent involves brominating safrole to 1-(3,4-
methylenedioxyphenyl)-2-bromopropane and then reacting this adduct with methylamine. Most
illicit MDMA is synthesized using MDP2P (3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl-2-propanone) as a precursor.
MDP2P in turn is generally synthesized from piperonal, safrole or isosafrole. One method is to
isomerize safrole to isosafrole in the presence of a strong base, and then oxidize isosafrole to
MDP2P. Another method uses the Wacker process to oxidize safrole directly to the MDP2P
intermediate with a palladium catalyst. Once the MDP2P intermediate has been prepared, a
reductive amination leads to racemic MDMA. Small quantities of essential oil are required to make
large amounts of MDMA. The essential oil of Ocotea cymbarum, for example, typically contains
between 80 and 94% safrole. This allows 500 ml of the oil to produce between 150 and 340 grams
of MDMA.