Marquis Reagent Color Chart: MDMA, Meth, Amphetamine & What Each Color Means

Marquis is the most-used reagent in the world for one reason: it does more work than any other single bottle. One drop tells you whether you're looking at an MDMA-class compound, an amphetamine-class stimulant, a 2C compound — or nothing at all. Here's the chart, what every color means, and the two no-reaction traps that get people in trouble.

TL;DR

• Purple → black = MDMA/MDA-class (instant). The result people are actually looking for.
• Orange/brown = amphetamine or meth class — and DMT also reads brown, so know what you're testing.
• Yellow-green = 2C-B / 2C-I class.
• No reaction does NOT mean clean. Cocaine, caffeine, NBOMe blotters, and most benzodiazepines are invisible to Marquis. That's what Ehrlich, benzo screens, and fentanyl strips are for.
• Marquis is one layer — pair it with Simon's (MDMA vs MDA) and Froehde (cathinones) for a real answer.

The Marquis Color Chart

Reaction colors below match our interactive reaction color chart exactly. Read within 10 seconds of the drop — colors deepen with time, and late reads mislead.

What Each Color Means in Practice

• Instant purple-black is what you want on something sold as MDMA — but it can't tell MDMA from MDA (MDA is stronger and longer). One Simon's reagent drop separates them: MDMA turns Simon's blue, MDA doesn't.
• Fast orange/brown on something sold as meth or speed confirms the stimulant class. On something sold as molly, an orange-brown instead of purple means it is not MDMA — likely meth or amphetamine cut.
• Yellow-green identifies 2C-B and friends — but it does not tell 2C-B from 2C-I or 2C-E. Treat as class-level, not species-level.

The Two No-Reaction Traps

1. "No color = clean." Wrong. Marquis is chemically inert on several things people actually take: cocaine (test it with Liebermann/Mandelin), NBOMe blotters (they're invisible to Marquis — that's the Ehrlich test's job), and most benzodiazepines (Marquis gives nothing on Xanax-class pills — a dedicated benzo screen exists for that). A no-reaction read means "Marquis can't see this," never "this is pure."
2. Slow color changes. PMA/PMMA — the adulterant behind repeated deaths in the MDMA market — produces no instant purple, only a slow drift toward orange/brown. If your "MDMA" doesn't flash purple-black within seconds, stop. Aspirin in crushed pills slowly turns pink-to-red, another slow-read trap that has fooled people testing crushed tablets.

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What Marquis Can't Do (Even With a Perfect Read)

• Find fentanyl. Marquis will not react to it in your sample. Strip first — fentanyl strips, $5.50 for 10.
• Distinguish MDMA from MDA. That's Simon's.
• Catch cathinones sold as molly. Some "bath salt" compounds give Marquis colors similar to MDMA. Froehde is the cathinone catcher.
• Measure purity or dose. No reagent does. Purity is a separate colorimetric kit question, dose is on you.

Buying a Marquis Bottle

Deeper reading: the full Marquis reagent guide covers history and detection limits, and Marquis vs Mecke vs Froehde explains when each reagent earns its place. Every color on this page is interactive and searchable on the reaction chart.

Disclosure: We may earn a commission on purchases through our links, at no extra cost to you. Reagents are presumptive tests — confirm positive results with a second reagent, and never rely on a single bottle for a life decision.