MDMA Purity Testing: How to Know What You're Taking
Every lot we release is assayed by an independent laboratory and the certificate travels with the order. That is a real check and it is not the only one worth doing. If you have ever been handed something at a party, the honest answer is that you have no idea what it is, and the tools to find out are cheap.
What reagent testing actually tells you
A reagent kit is a colour reaction. Marquis, Mecke, Simon’s and Froehde each turn a different colour in the presence of different compound families. Used together they narrow the field considerably.
- Marquis — purple to black suggests MDMA or another substituted amphetamine. Yellow or orange is a warning sign.
- Mecke — blue-green through to dark suggests MDMA. Used to separate MDMA from things Marquis cannot.
- Simon’s — distinguishes MDMA from MDA. Blue means a secondary amine is present; no reaction points to MDA.
- Froehde — a useful cross-check, and the one that flags several research chemicals Marquis misses.
What it does not tell you
Colour tells you something is probably present. It does not tell you how much, and it does not rule out a second compound sitting underneath the first. A strong Marquis reaction can mask an adulterant entirely. Reagents are a screen, not an assay.
A reagent kit can tell you something is wrong. It can never prove that everything is right.
Where to get a proper analysis in Europe
Several European countries run free or low-cost drug checking services with real laboratory equipment behind them. In Germany, drug checking has been running legally in Berlin since 2023 and in Thuringia and North Rhine-Westphalia since, with results returned in days. Austria has CheckIt! in Vienna, Switzerland has DIZ and DIB, the Netherlands has the DIMS network, and Portugal and Spain both run festival-season services. If you can reach one, it is strictly better than a colour chart.
Testing does not make anything safe
Knowing what a substance is does not tell you what it will do to you, and purity has never been the whole of the risk. Overheating, dehydration, drinking too much water, and combining with SSRIs, MAOIs or stimulants have all caused far more harm than adulterants. Nothing on this page is medical advice.
What we do on our side
- One independent laboratory, one certificate per lot
- The batch code on the certificate matches the code printed on the pouch
- Certificates stay searchable here against that code — see the lab testing page
- Where a line spans two lots, both certificates ship
