How To Test LSD for Safety & Purity (2026 Guide)

Why Testing LSD Is Critical: The NBOMe Danger

LSD is one of the most commonly misrepresented substances. What’s sold as “acid” may actually contain dangerous research chemicals that can be fatal, especially a class of compounds called NBOMes.

What Are NBOMes?

NBOMes (25I-NBOMe, 25C-NBOMe, 25B-NBOMe, and others) are synthetic psychedelic stimulants that are often sold as LSD because they:

• Are much cheaper to produce than real LSD
• Can be placed on blotter paper just like LSD
• Look identical to LSD tabs (you cannot tell by appearance)
• Produce some psychedelic effects that can feel similar

The Critical Difference: NBOMes are significantly more dangerous than LSD. They can cause:

• Overdose at relatively low doses
• Seizures
• Heart failure
• Death

How Testing Detects NBOMes

Our test kits can distinguish LSD from NBOMes and other dangerous adulterants:

Substance	Ehrlich Reaction	Hofmann Reaction	Marquis/Mecke/Liebermann
LSD (Safe)	Pinkish/magenta	Soft purple	No vivid reaction
NBOMe (DANGER)	No reaction	Detects 25B-NBOMe, 25iP-NBOMe	VIVID color change (RED FLAG)
DOx compounds (DANGER)	No reaction	Detects DOM	VIVID color change (RED FLAG)

Critical Rule: If you see a vivid, bright color change with Marquis, Mecke, or Liebermann reagents, your tab contains dangerous psychedelic stimulants. Do not consume it.

Understanding Different Forms of LSD

LSD comes in several forms, and each requires slightly different testing approaches. Here’s what you need to know:

Blotter Tabs (Most Common)

Blotter tabs are small squares of absorbent paper that have been soaked in liquid LSD. They’re the most common form of LSD and the easiest to test.

How to Test Blotter:

• Sample Size: You only need about 1/10th of a blotter tab—just a tiny corner
• Place in Test Tube: Put the small piece in your test tube
• Add Reagent: Add 1-2 drops of Ehrlich reagent
• Observe: Watch for pinkish/magenta color change within 1 minute
• Confirm: Repeat with Hofmann reagent (should turn soft purple)
• Optional Follow-up: Use Marquis, Mecke, or Liebermann to rule out NBOMes

Typical Dose: Most blotter tabs contain approximately 100 micrograms of LSD per square, though this can vary significantly.

Gel Tabs (Windowpanes)

Gel tabs are small squares of gelatin (about 1/4 inch square) containing LSD. They can be thicker, shiny, or translucent, and they often maintain potency longer than blotter because the gelatin preserves the LSD better.

How to Test Gel Tabs:

• Reaction Time: Gel tabs take much longer to react—up to 30 minutes (compared to 1 minute for blotter)
• What to Look For: Even a bit of streaking in the expected colors (pinkish/magenta for Ehrlich, soft purple for Hofmann) is a positive reaction
• Be Patient: Don’t assume no reaction until you’ve waited the full 30 minutes
• Advanced Method: For more reliable results, you can extract the LSD from the gelatin first:
  • Place a sample of the gel tab into a small amount of water
  • Add sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to dissolve the gelatin
  • Test the resulting liquid

Lab Testing for Gel Tabs: For gel tab purity testing with our lab services, you must select our Full Identification Analysis or Complete Analysis (Identification + Purity)—gel tabs cannot be analyzed using our more basic lab options.

Liquid LSD

Liquid LSD is LSD dissolved in alcohol or another solvent, typically dispensed in small dropper bottles. Each drop usually contains approximately 100 micrograms of LSD, though this can vary significantly.

How to Test Liquid LSD:

Method 1 (Recommended):

1. Drop your liquid LSD onto a piece of white, untreated paper
2. Let the paper dry completely
3. Test the dried paper with reagents as you would test blotter
4. First test a plain piece of paper to make sure it doesn’t react on its own

Method 2:

1. Put a few drops of liquid LSD in a test tube or on a testing surface
2. Let the liquid evaporate completely
3. Test the residue with reagents

Why These Methods? The liquid (alcohol or other solvent) can affect the color results if tested directly, so we dry it first to ensure accurate testing.

For All Liquid LSD Testing: We recommend the LSD Spot Kit Package, which includes Ehrlich and Hofmann reagents. We also recommend Marquis, Mecke, or Liebermann as a follow-up to rule out dangerous psychedelic stimulants such as NBOMes or DOx.

Sugar Cubes, Mints, and Gummies

Sometimes liquid LSD is dropped onto consumable items like sugar cubes, mints, or gummies for easier dosing and transport.

Important Testing Note: When liquid LSD is dropped onto an absorbent medium (such as a sugar cube), it does not absorb evenly. This is why you need to crush and mix the sugar thoroughly before testing to get an accurate result.

Connected vs. Individual Blotter Squares: Each perforated square in a given sheet of blotter will typically be the same dose. If you have individual squares that are not connected to each other (the perforation was broken when you obtained them), they may not come from the same sheet. Only connected squares can be assumed to be from the same sheet.

Three Levels of LSD Testing

Choose the testing level that matches your needs. We always recommend at least Level 2 for accurate identification and adulterant detection.

LEVEL 1 – BASIC EVALUATION

Testing with just one spot kit for basic adulterant detection

If you can only purchase one spot kit, we recommend the Ehrlich Spot Test Kit. This kit is capable of positively identifying LSD, and detecting the difference between LSD and other substances like AL-LAD and ETH-LAD.

LEVEL 2 – COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION (RECOMMENDED)

Testing with our recommended, substance-specific packages for a thorough evaluation

For comprehensive, accurate drug identification, as well as detection of cutting agents, we recommend our LSD Spot Kit Package. In comparison to using just one spot kit, this package provides more certainty when verifying a substance’s contents.

What’s Included in the LSD Spot Kit Package ($35):

• (1) bottle of Ehrlich reagent (50-100 uses)
• (1) bottle of Hofmann reagent (50-100 uses)
• (2) test tubes
• (2) 20+ page instructional booklets with dozens of reactions
• (2) durable plastic jars (double as stash jars!)

LEVEL 3 – HIGHEST CERTAINTY EVALUATION

Testing with our Skylab Separation Kit package for the most reliable results available without sending your sample to a laboratory

Our Skylab Separation Kits have the ability to separate mixed substances—allowing you to identify each different component of the mixture individually. A significant advantage of these kits is that they provide an approximate sense of how much of each substance is present—a feature otherwise only possible using full laboratory analysis.

For testing LSD with our separation kits, we recommend the Juno Separation Package, which includes the Ehrlich and Hofmann reagents, among many other useful spot kits.

Alternatively, you could purchase the Curiosity (Pro Level) Separation Package, which includes both of the necessary spot kits, along with every other reagent available on our site—perfect for versatile testing in the future.

For more information detailing the differences in our test kits, as well as instructions for how to use them, please visit the “Our Types of Test Kits” page. For comprehensive instructions on how to use our Skylab Separation Test Kits, please refer to the “Skylab Separation Test Kit Basics” page.

Testing for LSD Purity (Concentration)

QTests (or “quantitative tests”) are novel, highly advanced test kits for testing the purity or potency—the concentration of active ingredient—of a substance.

For testing LSD for purity, we recommend the LSD QTest Kit. This single-use test kit detects LSD-25 and its concentration in blotter, liquid, and sugar cube form. With these test kits, you can determine the number of micrograms of LSD in your sample.

Important Limitations of LSD QTest:

• This test kit does not work on gel tabs
• This test kit does not react to 1P-LSD, 1cP-LSD, ALD-52, or ETH-LAD

For comprehensive instructions on how to use our LSD QTest Kits, please refer to the QTest Basics page.

How to Test LSD: Visual Flow Chart

Follow this simple flow chart to test your LSD step by step:

Understanding Your Results:

“COLOR MATCHES SPECTRUM”
This means that your reaction matched the spectrum, and you can move down and left to use the next Spot Test Kit.

“ZERO REACTION”
This means that there was no notable color change. If this is on your flow chart, the substance you were trying to identify was not supposed to react, but other adulterants (cutting agents) would have shown up instead if they were present. No reaction means that those adulterants were not present, and you can move down and left to the next Spot Test Kit.

“ANY OTHER COLOR”
This means that your reaction was, in some way, different than the expected reaction on the spectrum. At this point, you know that you either have a completely different substance from what you were expecting, or an adulterated one. Returning or discarding the sample is the best course of action, although it is possible to use additional tests to tentatively identify the substance.

Frequently Asked Questions: Testing LSD

Related Resources

Want to learn more about LSD testing? Check out these helpful resources:

• All About Gel Tabs, Blotter & Liquid LSD: What to Know Before You Drop – Comprehensive guide to different forms of LSD
• Exploring 1P-LSD & Other Analogs: Effects & Differences from LSD – Learn about LSD analogs and how to test them
• QTest Purity Test Kit Basics – Complete instructions for testing LSD concentration
• Our Types of Test Kits – Understanding the differences between spot kits, separation kits, and purity tests
• Skylab Separation Test Kit Basics – Advanced testing for mixed substances

DISCLAIMER

A sample that has been tested should not be considered safe. There is inherent risk when choosing to consume any substance.

Many factors are involved when conducting a test and examining reactions, and The Bunk Police does not assume responsibility for the interpretation of results. Reactions of individual samples can vary depending on lighting differences and the specific mixtures of substances being tested. Bunk Police kits are intended for identifying unknown substances for harm reduction purposes only.

The Bunk Police does not assume responsibility for the use or misuse of this information.

Proceed at your own risk.