Drug name Active principle Street/common name Colour test Reagent preparation Colour developed

1)Cannabis Tetrahydrocannabinol Ganja, Aunt Mary, baby, 1)Fast Blue B test 1) Solid reagent: Fast Blue B salt+ 1)Purple-red
bhang, kaya, marijuana, anhydrous sodium sulphate
joint sticks, hemp, fry (2.5:100)
daddy, earth, herb, Solution 1: Chloroform
Indian boy, kaya, dope, Solution 2: 0.1N aq. Sodium
hash, hashish, pot, hydroxide solution.
charas, honey oil, red
oil etc. 2) Reagent: 5 drops of
2)Duquenois-Levine acetaldehyde and 0.4g vanillin 2) Violet colour
test dissolved in 20ml pf 95% ethanol
followed by addition of HCl and
chloroform.

3) Test to 3) Reagent 1: p-Aminophenol (1

differentiate between mg) in ethanol (10 ml)
bhang, ganja and Reagent 2: Caustic potash (1g) in
charas distilled water (10 ml). 3)Green – bhang,
Blue – ganja,
Violet – charas.

2)Opium/ Opium Meconic acid, morphine (main Joy plant, aunti, big o, 1)Marquis test 1)Reagent: 8-10 drops of 40% 1)Purple -violet colour
alkaloids/ Poppy straw active principle), codeine, hops, zero, ope, gum, formaldehyde solution in 10 ml
thebaine, narcotine, mud, noir, hops, conc. sulphuric acid.
papaverine, etc dopium, midnight oil,
pen yan etc. 2)Reagent: 1 g of ferric sulphate
2)Ferric salt test in 20 ml of water 2)Brown-purple colour
 3)Meconic acid test 3)Reagent: Neutral solution of
10% ferric chloride. 3)Red colour

4)Porphyroxine test 4)Reagent: 2N HCl 4)Red colour

5) Husemann’s test 5) 1 drop of conc. Nitric acid and 5)reddish -violet colour that
potassium nitrate changes to blood red then
reddish-yellow and finally
fades away.

6)Deniges-Oliver Test 6) Reagent: Ammonium hydroxide

(1 drop) followed by 2 drops of 6)Pink or wine- red colour
hydrogen peroxide and then (codeine and dionine don’t
stirred with copper foil respond to this test)

7)Urotropine Test 7) Reagent: 7) On heating colour changes

Hexamethylenetetraamine from purple to blue and finally
to green

3)Heroin Diacetyl morphine Aries, chip, harry, dirt, 1)Marquis Test 1)Reagent: 8-10 drops of 40% 1)Purple-violet colour
big bag, girl, junk, formaldehyde solution and 10 ml
courage pills, witch, of conc. Sulphuric acid
smack, brown sugar,
etc. 2) Reagent: 0.25g of selenious
2)Mecke’s Test acid in 25ml conc. Sulphuric acid 2)Deep green colour

3)Reagent: 50 mg molybdic acid

3)Frohde’s Test or sodium molybdate in 10ml hot 3)Grey-purple colour
conc. Sulphuric acid
 4)Nitric acid test 4)Reagent: conc. Nitric acid 4)Yellow colour that turns
green on standing

5)Meconic acid test 5)Reagent: neutral solution of 5)Blood red colour

Ferric chloride (doesn’t change by boiling or
addition of HCl or mercuric
chloride)

4)Cocaine Methyl-3-benzyloxy-8-methyl- Candy, crack, flake, gin, 1)Scott’s test 1)Reagents: 1)Step 1: blue colour
8-azabicyclo octane-2- snow, coke, rock, Solution 1: 2% cobalt thiocyanate Step 2: clear pink colour
caboxylate Speedball, lady, star in water and diluted with 96% Step 3: blue colour in
dust, coco, bazooka, big glycerine chloroform layer
C, etc. Solution 2: conc. HCl
Solution 3: chloroform

5)Methaqualone/ 2-Methyl-3-o-tolyl-4(3H)- Bandits, disco biscuits, 1)Cobalt thiocyanate 1)Reagent A: 16% Conc. HCl 1)Blue colour
Mecloqualone quinazolinone flowers, lemons, quack. test solution
714, soaper, mandies, Reagent B: 2.5g cobalt (ii)
wagon wheels etc. thiocyanate in 100 ml water

2)Reagent A: Conc. Formic acid 2)Yellow colour in chloroform

2)Fischer-Morris’s (88%) layer
test Reagent B: 5% aqueous sodium
nitrate solution followed by
addition of chloroform
6)Amphetamines/ 1-phenylpropan-2-amine/(2S)- Amphetamines-Amp, 1)Marquis test 1)Reagent: 8-10 drops of 40% 1)orange colour that turns
Methamphetamines N-methyl-1-phenylpropan-2- hearts, rippers, formaldehyde solution in 10ml brown
amine marathon, footballs, conc. Sulphuric acid
glass, oranges, etc.
Methamphetamines- 2)Simon’s reagent 2)Reagent: 2)Amphetamines give slow
crack meth, fire, ice, test Solution A: 20% aq. Sodium pink to cherry red colour.
downers, meth, etc. carbonate solution Methamphetamines give blue
MDMA- Adam, Ecstasy, Solution B: 50% ethanolic colour
essence, XTC, etc. acetaldehyde solution
MDE- Eve, MDEA, etc. Solution C: 1% aq. Sodium
nitroprusside solution
 3)Liebermann’s Test 3)Reagent: 5g sodium nitrate in 3)Reddish-orange colour.
50ml sulphuric acid

4)Mandelin’s reagent 4)Reagent:1g ammonium 4)Green colour that darkens

test vanadate in 100 ml conc. rapidly. On stirring colour
Sulphuric acid passes through various shades
of emerald green to dark
reddish brown
7)Barbiturates and its 1,3-diazinane-2,4,6-trione Barbitos, barbs, 1)Dille-Koppayni Test 1)Reagent: 1)Purple colour
derivatives sleeping pills, goofballs, Solution 1: 0.1g of cobaltous
sleepers, downers, acetate tetrahydrate in 100 ml of
peanuts, candy, etc. absolute methanol and 0.2ml
glacial acetic acid
Solution 2: 5ml isopropyl amine in
95ml absolute methanol

2)Zwikker test 2)Reagent: 2)Non-thiobarbiturates:

Solution A: 0.5g purple to weak blue colour
copper(ii)sulphate in 100 ml develops
distilled water Thiobarbiturates: green colour
Solution B: 5% Pyridine (v/v) in develops
chloroform
8)Benzodiazepines 2,3-diazabicyclo [5.4.0] undeca- Benzos, blues, French 1)Marquis test 1) Reagent:8-10 drops of 40% 1) Orange colour
3,5,7,9,11-pentaene fries, chill pills, blue formaldehyde solution in 10 ml (flunitrazepam gives pink
bomb, nerve pills, etc. conc. Sulphuric acid colour)

2)Reagent 1: 1,3-dinitrobenzene
2) Zimmerman test (1% w/v) in methanol 2)Reddish-purple or pink
Reagent 2: 15% KOH in distilled colour
water

3)Reagent:
3) Vitali-Morin’s Test Solution 1: conc. Nitric acid
 Solution 2: acetone
Solution 3: 0.1N ethanolic KOH 3) Yellow-orange

4)Formaldehyde- 4) Reagent: 4 parts of sulphuric 4)red/pink/blue/violet/red-

sulphuric acid test acid with 6 parts of formalin violet/blue- violet colour
develops
9) Mescaline 3,4,5- Big chief, mesc, etc. 1)Marquis test 1)Reagent: 1)Orange to orange-red colour
trimethoxyphenethylamine Solution A: 8-18 drops of 40%
formaldehyde solution in 10 ml
glacial acetic acid
Solution B: Conc. Sulphuric acid

2)Mecke’s test 2)Reagent: 1g selenious acid in

100 ml of concentrated sulphuric 2)Orange colour that changes
acid to brown

3)Froehde’s test 3) Reagent: 0.5g sodium

molybdate or molybdic acid in 3)Brown colour develops
100 ml hot conc. Sulphuric acid

4)Liebermann’s test 4)Reagent: 5g sodium nitrite in 4)Black colour develops

50ml sulphuric acid
10)Psilocin/ Psilocybin 4-phosphoryloxy-N,N- Magic mushrooms, 1)Ehlrich Reagent 1)Reagent: 1g p- 1)Violet to grey-violet colour
dimethyltryptamine shrooms, mushrooms, test dimethylaminobenzaldehyde in develops
etc. 10ml methanol and 10 ml conc.
O-phosphoric acid

2)Marquis test 2)Reagent:8-10 drops of 40% 2) Green-brown colour

formaldehyde solution in 10 ml develops
conc. Sulphuric acid
 3)Froehde’s Test 3)Reagent: 0.5g sodium 3)Olive green colour that
molybdate or molybdic acid in changes to yellow
100 ml hot conc. Sulphuric acid

4)Mecke’s test
4)Reagent: 1g of selenous acid in 4)Greenish-yellow colour that
100 ml conc. sulphuric acid changes to brownish-green
11) LSD Lysergic Acid Diethyl amide Acid, boomers, mellow 1)Ehrlich Reagent 1) Reagent: 1g p-dimethyl amino 1) Blue to purple colour
yellow, looney tunes, Test benzaldehyde in 10 ml methanol develops
Elvis, zen, Lucy Mae, and 10 ml conc. O-phosphoric
doses, blotter acid, etc. acid

2) Reagent: 8-10 drops of 40% 2) Orange to brown to purple

2)Marquis Reagent formaldehyde solution in 10 ml colour develops
Test conc. Sulphuric acid

3)Reagent: 50 mg molybdic acid 3) Olive green colour changes

3)Frohde’s Reagent or sodium molybdate in 10 ml hot to blue to green.
Test conc. Sulphuric acid

4)Reagent: 0.25g of selenious acid 4)Olive green colour that

4) Mecke’s Reagent in 25ml conc. Sulphuric acid changes to blue-black
Test

12) Nicotine 3-[(2S)-1-methyl-pyrrolidin-2- cigarettes, ciggies, cigs, 1)Schindelmeister 1)Reagent:1 drop of 30% 1) Rose red colour develops
yl]pyridine. darts, durries, rollies, Test formaldehyde solution and a drop
smokes, chop, cigars, of concentrated sulphuric acid
shisha, snuff, snus etc.

2)Mayer’s reagent 2)Reagent: 1.357g mercuric

test chloride and 5g potassium iodide 2) White or yellowish
in 100ml distilled water precipitate formed