ALD-52 or n-acetyl-LSD is a chemical analogue of LSD (lysine diethylamide). It was first discovered by Albert Hoffman, but was not widely studied until the popularity of psychedelics in the 1960s.

effect

In TiHKAL, Shulgin gives a brief introduction to ALD-52 in entry 26 LSD. His writings were vague, secondhand accounts, saying that doses in the 50-175 microgram range led to various conclusions. One study found that there was less visual distortion compared to LSD, and it seemed to produce less anxiety and slightly less effect than LSD. Another report said it was more effective at raising blood pressure. Yet another man couldn't tell them apart.

It has the same characteristics as LSD, but is said to be "free of anxiety, nervousness and other inherent problems."

Danger

In Psychedelics by Hoffer and Osmond (1967), ALD-52 (D, L-acetyllysergic acid diacetamide) is listed as having less (about 1/5) intravenous toxicity (in rabbits), less (about 1/8) thermogenic effects, equal psychological effects in humans, and double the antiserotonin effects compared to LSD.

history

ALD-52 may be the active chemical in "Orange Sunshine" LSD, which was widely used in California between 1968 and 1969. Tim Scully and Nicholas Sand's Sonoma County Underground Chemistry lab is the source of "Orange Sunshine." The lab was shut down by police, and Scully was arrested and charged. This led to the first drug analogue trials, in which Scully claimed that he and his partners had done nothing wrong because the ALD-52 they produced was not an illegal drug. However, as the prosecution claimed, there were problems with such justification: first, ALD-52 was easily hydrolyzed to LSD, and second, LSD was required to synthesize ALD-52 (this was based on the methods available in the scientific literature at the time). Scully was convicted and served time in prison.