Heroin, also known as
diamorphine, is an
opiate analgesic synthesized by
C.R Alder Wright in 1874 by adding two acetyl groups to the molecule
morphine, a derivative of the
opium poppy. When used in medicine it is typically used to treat severe pain, such as that resulting from a
heart attack. It is the 3,6-
diacetyl ester of morphine, and functions as a morphine
prodrug.
The white crystalline form considered "pure heroin" is usually the
hydrochloride salt, diacetylmorphine hydrochloride. When heroin is supplied illegally, though, it is often adulterated to a
freebase form, dulling the sheen and consistency to a matte-white powder.
As of 2004, roughly 87% of the world supply of
opium and
its derivatives, including heroin, was thought to be produced in
Afghanistan.
However, production in
Mexico has risen six-fold from 2007 to 2011, changing that percentage and placing Mexico as the second largest opium producer in the world.