Is there any chemical compound that, when disolved on water, causes a reaction (such as effervescence or the production of foam) to GHB?

[Dr_Duck]

Hi, I am not a chemist so apologies in advance if I lack terminology. I was wondering if there is a way to make a type of powder, pill or tablet than can dissolve in a cup of water, and have a chemical reaction if someone puts GHB on it (any type of reaction that can make you aware of what happened.) Thanks in advance!

[scooke]

Dear Alexis,

First, be very careful about where your drinks are coming from, and keep them under your control.  Second, yes, there are several products out that will detect GHB.  You can find them with an Internet search for GHB Detection.  Here's one example:  https://efficientgov.com/blog/2017/05/22/5-date-rape-drug-detectors/ 

Best regards,

Steven

[Dr_Duck]

Thanks Steven!  I really appreciate your reply. However, I had something else in mind when I asked that question. You see, I have to come up with a product for a college course that resolves an issue our country faces. Where I live the date rape drugs are unfortunately common, but all these GHB detectors are not easy to get. My idea was something you could put into your cup in a form of powder, pill or tablet since I think that could be manufactured easily in the country, and could get easily accepted into the culture. I don´t need to actually make the product, just to know if its possible to do it (and a few details of the compound that would make it possible), because despite all the detectors I have found online, I really cant seem to find *how* do they work. I am sorry if I am overwhelming you, thanks in advance! 

[scooke]

Dear Alexis

It still sounds like your application is the same, just that the availability of the products may be different. Usually, one would need to be established as some bona fide business to be able to purchase bulk chemicals for any formulation. My initial response was simply to indicate that the knowledge and compounds are out there, being developed and marketed in different ways or packages.

This site also has some good general tips and possible options for obtaining the product:

https://www.undercovercolors.com/pages/faqs

The provided company contact may provide you with some specific chemical information (Amanda McGarrity amcgarrity@thes3agency.com). The application (lateral flow) is patented, but if the product is unavailable in your part of the world that may be negotiable, or only the chemicals used in drug detection may be necessary for you. The four related patents that I found are more specific to the devices and delivery methods than the chemicals used.

In all cases, the delivery mechanisms are because it may be undesirable to put the reagents INTO the drink, rather than putting a drink sample in contact with the chemicals on a different substrate.

The chemicals used in some detection kits are as follows:

The chemical reagents utilized to detect the presence of flunitrazepam are Zimmerman's Test reagent methanolic 2,4-dinitrobenzene and potassium hydroxide and the chemical reagent for GHB is 5,5 Dibromo-o-cresolsulfonphthalein. The chemical agent reacts with the date rape drug to produce a change in color of the chemical reagent indicating the presence of the date rape drug in the liquid.

Best regards,

Steven

[Dr_Duck]

Hi Steven! Thank you so much for your input! You really went above and beyond, I really appreciate all the effort you put into answering my question. All this information you gave to me is more than enough for what I need to do, and I'll keep everything you said in mind. I never expected so much thoughtfulness when I initially asked the question, but it goes to show ACS is a really great community. Thanks again! And I'll let you know if this ever amounts to anything.