Is tusi the same as 2C-B?
This article has been translated to English.
Usually Tusi (or Tuci, Tusibi, "pink cocaine") is not the same as 2C-B, contrary to the confusing name. "Tusi" comes from the Spanish pronunciation of 2C-B, so the name indeed promises one compound while the pink powder sold under it is usually a mixture of others. Ketamine, MDMA, caffeine and a colouring are the typical recipe, with 2C-B usually absent altogether. If you are looking for 2C-B, the name on the bag is the least reliable thing about it.
What is in real 2C-B samples
European services have published 229 samples submitted as 2C-B, and 42% of them contained something besides 2C-B.
The table below counts what came back alongside the 2C-B.
| Detected alongside 2C-B | Samples |
|---|---|
| MDMA | 39 |
| Unknown | 24 |
| 2C-H | 22 |
| Caffeine | 17 |
| Ketamine | 16 |
| Synthesis impurity | 7 |
| Amphetamine | 4 |
2C-H is perhaps the most interesting row listed. It is a related compound present in 2C-B synthesis, so what turns up is manufacturing byproducts rather than anything added on purpose. At 22 in 229 that is fairly ordinary for 2C-B, and 2C-H has little activity of its own, so the cost is a batch weaker than its weight suggests rather than a more dangerous one. MDMA at 39 and ketamine at 16 are the tusi recipe showing up in samples people submitted as plain 2C-B, which is the point worth taking away: four in ten samples that people believed were 2C-B carried something else, and every one of those results came from a laboratory rather than from looking at the powder.
Pink does not automatically mean tusi. The NASA press is a common pink 2C-B pill, and 161 published alerts carry that logo, almost all of them confirmed as 2C-B at 10 to 18 mg. Whole pills like that are rarely sold as tuci, but crushed NASA does get sold on as 2C-B powder, so some of the pink powder going around is exactly what it says it is. It runs the other way too: 2C-B has been dyed pink and bulked out, and in the pink samples that did contain 2C-B it was usually 1 to 4% of the powder beside ketamine and MDMA. Colour tells you nothing in either direction, which is the whole argument for testing rather than looking.
Testing a pink powder
The problem with tusi is that it is a mixture, and reagents are not great at mixtures because "the loudest" compound wins, usually the darkest reaction shows over any other. Marquis, Mecke and Robadope reagent tests identify 2C-B; Simon's separates MDMA and methamphetamine or other secondary amines; and Morris reads ketamine and cathinones better than Mecke does, which is why our tusi kit swaps one for the other. What a reagent will not do is tell you the proportions, and with three or four compounds blended, a TLC purity test kit is recommended.
If it is a mixture, use TLC
A TLC testing card separates a sample, such as powder, be it pink or any other, into its components showing each one as a separate spot. That is the only way to see at home that your pink powder is three things rather than two or four, and roughly in what proportion. For tusi specifically that is the difference between a useful answer and a colour that means nothing.
How a TLC test works · How pure is European ketamine
Questions?
Why is tusi pink?
Food colouring, usually strawberry flavouring too. The colour is cosmetic and tells you nothing about the contents.
Does tusi contain cocaine?
Despite "pink cocaine" as a nickname, usually not. Ketamine and MDMA are the common base.
Can a reagent prove my sample is 2C-B?
It can indicate 2C-B is present. In a mixture it will often show you only the strongest reacting compound, which is why TLC matters here more than usual.
What is 2C-H?
The precursor 2C-B is made from. Traces of it are common and it has little activity of its own, so it mostly means the batch is weaker than its weight suggests.
No test result can tell you a substance is safe. No substance is 100% safe.This article is published for harm reduction purposes. It does not encourage the use of psychoactive substances and does not replace medical advice.