Freebases

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. To convert a compound, often a drug, into its freebase form by removing acidic components; to process or purify a substance to its non-salt, volatile form; the act or result of preparing a substance in its chemically unbound base state
2. The chemical process of transforming a salt-based compound into a non-ionized base; modifying a substance to its free, uncombined form for increased volatility or absorption; a form of purification used typically with certain drugs
3. The method of extracting or converting a chemical substance to its freebase form by removing associated acids; preparing a compound to enhance potency or usability; the action of producing a substance in a pure, freebase chemical state

Etymology: "Freebase" is a compound of two English words, "free" and "base," and its meaning comes straight from them. "Free" descends from Old English "frēo," which carried the sense of being unbound or not in bondage, and "base" passes through Old French "base" and Latin "basis" from ancient Greek "bāsis," meaning a step, a stepping, or a foundation. In chemistry, "base" was used for a substance that could neutralize an acid, and combining it with "free" describes the state of that substance once it has been separated from the salt it was bound into. The sense of "freebase" as a verb and noun grows from this chemical meaning. Converting a salt-based compound into its uncombined form makes the substance more volatile, meaning it vaporizes more readily at lower temperatures, which is why the term came to describe a purification method for certain drugs. The word thus joins two very old roots, one meaning a step or foundation and one meaning freedom from restraint, to name a process that releases a compound from its bonds.

Synonyms: liberates, extracts freebase

Antonyms: binds, salts