GHB - Alaska Delaire

GHB is a drug with a notorious reputation! While it is seen in the news as a scary substance used in date rapes, it is in fact used much more often by people willing to take it for the strange effects it has on the body. Some people find these effects enjoyable, and the drug has nothing on alcohol, the number one drug used in date rape scenarios!

The high of GHB, or Gamma-Hydroxybutyric Acid, can cause euphoria,

heightened energy, sexual arousal, drunkenness, oneness with one’s environment, and general pleasure, but it has a sharp dose response curve and even a little bit can put a person over the edge to overdosing (1). Deep coma, vomiting, seizures, disorientation, aggression, and/or various other symptoms characterize overdosing (2). Unfortunately, medical personnel do not have many tools to counteract GHB overdose because of the unique symptoms it causes (2), so the best way to avoid health risks is to not take GHB unless under the care of a family doctor or pharmacist…. which brings us to our next point that yes, GHB is used by many people legally for medical reasons. It comes in tablets from the pharmacy and is prescribed to people who suffer from narcolepsy, a biological problem where the brain cannot regulate sleep patterns properly and is characterized by sleep disruption at night and strong sleepiness during the day, as well as cataplexy, muscle weakness akin to sleep paralysis (3).

The drug is also known as ‘G’, and ‘liquid ecstasy’ on the street (1). It often comes in a clear solution when found illegally, and it is bound to sodium in the prescribed form as well as illegally to make it easier to administer. GHB is especially dangerous because its effects are easily compounded when alcohol or other drugs are in a user’s system or too much is taken, and users can easily forget they have taken it, make poor decisions while on the drug, or may be dosed by another person in drinks already containing alcohol (1).

Photo credit: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/AbuGnost_anabolic_steroids_GHB_poppers_080810_48.jpg (labeled for reuse)

References:

1: GHB. (n.d.). Retrieved March 12, 2014, from http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/ghb/

2:   Mason, P. E., & Kerns, W. P. II. (2008). Gamma Hydroxybutyric Acid (GHB) Intoxication. Academic Emergency Medicine, 9, 730-739. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1197/aemj.9.7.730/pdf

3: What is Xyrem? (n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2014, from http://www.xyrem.com/

EDTA can save your life from Lead Poisoning - Faezeh Takehei

Good morning to the folks of William Aberhart high school,

I am back to teach you more about chemistry and chemical compounds.

Have you wondered which chemical keeps the flavor of your favorite carbonated drinks or saves your life after lead poisoning?

The answer is EDTA… The scientific name of this chemical is edetic acid/ Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid¹.  Ferdinand Munz discovered EDTA in 1935. EDTA is a type of salt. It binds to important metals like calcium and copper and prevents them from degrading and discoloring foods³.

Interesting physical/ chemical properties ¹

• Melting point: 245 C 
•   Molar mass: 292.24 g/mol
• Soluble in water
• White solid powder

EDTA has been used in verities of applications⁴:

• Baby foods
• Paper
• Textile industry
• Beauty products
• Cleaning materials
• Medicine- chelation therapy to cure the patients with lead poisoning

How awesome!!!!

That is not the end of it

Because

 Chemicals can have toxicity and negative health effects on organisms and humans. Consequently, EDTA is considered to be among those chemicals.

 

 

The injection of the EDTA by veins to cure the lead poisoning can have side effects ²:

• Burning sensation in body
• Diarrhea, seizures, headache, low blood pressure
• It can decrease the levels of the important vitamins like vitamin C (found in fruits), calcium (found in milk, and dairy products)

Controversies associated with EDTA ⁵:

• Removes minerals and trace elements from the body
• Has negative impacts on calcium metabolism
• Cause body crams and cessation of breath
• It takes long time for EDTA to be decomposed when it is released to the environment . Therefore, thanks to our awesome scientists, who found other alternatives to EDTA ⁶:

Polyaspartic acid is one of the alternatives.

• It is a biodegradable
• Water soluble
• It is a polyaminoacid
• In addition to its ability to chelate metal ions, it can inhibit from corrosion.

 References:

1.      National Library of Medicine. (2013). Edetic acid. ChemIDplus Lite. Retrieved from

http://chem.sis.nlm.nih.gov/chemidplus/jsp/common/ChemFull.jsp?calledFrom=lite

2.      University of Maryland Medical Center. (2013, May 7). Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. Retrieved from http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/ethylenediaminetetraacetic-acid

3.      Harris, Daniel.C. (2010). EDTA Titration. Quantative Analytical Chemistry (8^th ed). (265-276). New york, United States of America: Macmillan

4.      Zeng, A., & Jandir, P.,&Davis, . EDTA. UC Davis Chem Wiki. Retrieved from http://chemwiki.ucdavis.edu/Inorganic_Chemistry/Coordination_Chemistry/Ligands/EDTA

5.      Golstein,M., & Goldstein,M.A. (2001). Chelation Therapy. Controversies in the Practice of Medicine. (pp. 205-206). New york, United states of America: Greenwood press

Kolodynska,D. (2011). Chelating agents of a new generation as an alternative to the conventional chelators for heavy metal ions from different waste waters. Expanding issues in desalination. Retrieved from http://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs-wm/20357.pdf