NBOMe and DOx on blotter: how to rule them out
This version has been translated from Polish and links to the relevant test kits have been added. In a life-threatening situation call 112. This article is informational and serves harm reduction. It does not encourage the use of psychoactive substances and does not replace medical advice.
Blotter paper holds roughly 100 to 200 µg, and almost nothing fits on it at a psychoactive dose. The exceptions are the NBOMe series, the DOx compounds and NBOH, which do fit, and which have killed people at doses a lysergamide would shrug off. That is the whole reason to test a tab: not to confirm the LSD, but to exclude these.
They are rare, which is not the same as absent
Only ten samples in the published European data involve this group, so the base rate is low. It stays worth testing for the same reason a smoke alarm is worth having: the consequence, not the frequency. NBOMe compounds are active at low micrograms with a much narrower margin than LSD, and DOx compounds run 12 to 24 hours or longer, so somebody who redoses at hour four because a tab "is not working" has committed to a very long night.
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.
| 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 |
Single-use LSD test, 3.65 EUR · LSD and adulterants kit, 26.53 EUR · How to detect NBOMes · Hofmann colour range with LSD
Two ways a blank result lies
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.
The LSD prodrugs compared · The activation method · Hofmann reagent, 7,30 EUR
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 contact 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.