system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5:What is a freebase drug?

I hear crack cocaine is the freebase form of cocaine. What does this mean?

What is freebase?

What is hydrochloride and why is it in cocaine?

Why can't people just smoke powder cocaine?
gpt
A lot of drugs are bases as in acids and bases. Since they are bases, they can react with acids to forms salts. The hydrochloride is the salt of the base and hydrochloric acid. The freebase is exactly what it sounds like, the base by itself, not a salt. Freebases tend to not dissolve in water and vaporize at lower temperatures, which makes them better for smoking. The salts tend to be soluble in water and often decompose rather than vaporizing, making them better suited to snorting.