Cocaine (C17H21NO4) is a powerfully addictive, psychoactive, stimulant drug. On the street it is usually sold as a fine, white powder. The powdered, hydrochloride salt form of cocaine can be snorted or dissolved in water and injected. Freebase, or crack is cocaine hydrochloride that is processed with ammonia or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda solution) and heated to remove the hydrochloride salt. This ‘freebase’ form of cocaine is not water-soluble; it comes in a rock crystal that can be heated and its vapors smoked. Crack may be processed with a high percentage of impurities. The term "crack" refers to the crackling sound heard when it is heated prior to smoking. Cocaine use in the U.S. is illegal when used as recreational drug.1,2
