NBOMe and DOx on blotter: how to rule them out
This article has been translated to English.
You rule out NBOMe or DOx with a reagent test, and that is one of the two main reasons to test a tab at all, aside from confirming that LSD is present. Blotter holds roughly 100 to 200 µg, and almost nothing is active in that range except LSD and the compounds dishonestly sold as acid: the NBOMe series, the DOx compounds and the even more novel NBOHs. Those have caused fatal accidents at doses a lysergamide never would. Two reagents answer whether a lysergamide is really there, and another two can confirm whatever else is, if not LSD.
These phenethylamines are rare, but easy to detect
Only ten samples in the recently published European data included NBOMe, DOx or NBOH, so the market presence seems low. It stays worth testing for the same reason a smoke alarm is worth having: the consequence, not the chance. NBOMe compounds are active at low micrograms with a much narrower margin than LSD, and a much heavier bodyload. DOx compounds, for example, can also run many hours longer than LSD, so somebody who redoses at hour four because a tab "is not working" has committed to a very long experience.
Browse the alerts database · What is LSD
Two reagents, and what a blank means
Ehrlich reacts with indoles and turns purple; LSD and the other lysergamides are indoles, and NBOMe, DOx and NBOH are not. So a purple Ehrlich result indicates an indole is present and a blank one does not. Hofmann then separates the indoles from each other, turning deep blue with lysergamides and yellow-green with other indoles such as tryptamine or melatonin. Run both: purple Ehrlich plus blue Hofmann is consistent with a lysergamide, and a blank Ehrlich on something sold as acid is the result that should stop you.
The table below gives each result and what it means.
| Result | Reading |
|---|---|
| Ehrlich purple, Hofmann blue | consistent with a lysergamide |
| Ehrlich purple, Hofmann yellow-green | an indole, but not a lysergamide |
| Ehrlich blank | no indole detected, which is the warning |
How to detect NBOMes · Hofmann colour range with LSD
Two other reasons for a blank
A prodrug blotter such as 1V-LSD or 1cP-LSD reacts slowly or not at all until the sample is activated, so a blank can mean prodrug rather than danger. And 1S-LSD does not trigger either reagent at any point. Both cases look identical to a blank piece of paper, so if the tab was sold as an analogue rather than as LSD-25, read the activation method before drawing a conclusion.
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The LSD prodrugs compared · The activation method
Questions?
Will Ehrlich detect NBOMe?
No, and that is how it works here. NBOMe is not an indole, so it produces no reaction, and the absence is the signal.
Is a bitter taste a reliable test?
No. We wrote a whole article about why that idea does not survive a reality check with evidence.
How long do DOx compounds last?
Long, commonly 12 to 24 hours and sometimes more, which is what makes redosing dangerous.
My tab gave no reaction at all.
Either something that is not a lysergamide, or a prodrug that needs activating first, or 1S-LSD. Do not assume the harmless option.
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.