ACRB A/B Extraction Overview

[ColorfulColorado]

Forgive me in advance if I should've used search before posting this, I'm sure there are posts just like this, however I'd like to err on the side of caution & make sure I have everything correct for this process, as it will be my first extraction & I'm quite excited to see what happens, however I don't want to make a crucial mistake that ruins my pull completely.

I will be following Thick-Light's tek for ACRB, to a T, just changing ratios for different amounts of materials.

I have access to 500g ACRB (powdered), 112g Lye(99.9% pure), Acetic Acid(in the form of 5% White Vinegar), VM&P Naphtha(Klean-Strip), and obviously, H20.

My plan is to use ~200g of the RB for my first extraction, and then continue with the other 300g in a few weeks, I'd like to make sure that I have the basic chemistry principles down, before moving on. Fundamentals, ya know?

So here are the steps I plan to take, if anyone can let me know if this is the proper way to do an A/B that would be fantastic.

1: Begin by boiling ACRB in 600ml H2O + 30ml White Vinegar, boil three times, for exactly one and a half hours each time, combining the liquid of the three boils.
2: Reduce the ~1890ml soln to 500ml
3: Cool soln to room temp, fridge for 3-4 hours to slightly cool it for addition of NaOH.
4: Slowly dissolve 50g NaOH into soln, adding roughly 10g at a time to prevent cracking of glass jars from exothermic reaction.
5: As soon as Lye is completely dissolved into soln, add in ~100ml nahptha.
6: Cap jar containing soln, agitate(slightly) for 5 minutes, rest for 3, agitate for 5, rest for 3, agitate for 5, rest for 3. Allow soln to seperate into two distinct layers.
7: Draw off the top layer of solvent & place into a clean glass jar for precipitation.
8: Allow solvent to sit out at room temp for 6-12 hours, draw off, saving any crystals that precipitate, open the lid of the jar, stick it upside down, on a glass plate, in the freezer & allow nahptha to fall & collect on plate.
9: Take remaining solvent, which has been placed into a new jar & freeze precip for 12-18 hours, repeating this step until no more crystals precipitate out of the solvent.

After this, it's simply collecting weight, comparing yield, and if necessary doing a few more washes with acid on the batch of RB.

Do I have all of this right? This was all from memory, so I may be skipping a few steps, or leaving something out, which is my biggest fear. I will have the tek handy throughout the process & have read and re-read it quite thoroughly over the past few days.

Much thanks for any help or criticism provided!

 

[Earthwalker]

When doing you're first extraction why not just use 50g ACRB also have you read up on using salt on acacia and other TEKs ?

 

[ColorfulColorado]

When doing you're first extraction why not just use 50g ACRB also have you read up on using salt on acacia and other TEKs ?

I suppose I could try 50g just to get the technique under my belt, thanks for the tip!

As far as salt goes, are you referring to adding NaCl in after basification to facilitate a more polar environment & to 'shove' the freebase into the Naphtha?

I have quite a large amount of pure NaCl that I have leftover from a simple Manske done two days ago, would you recommend that I add it in before my solvent? If so, using 50g ACRB I would shoot for roughly 150ml water for basification, so that would equate to probably 10g salt? Perhaps 15g or even 20g? Doing a smaller batch like this, would I kick the amount of Nahptha down to 25-30ml, or go a little higher at say 50ml for 1:1 ACRB:Nahptha ratio? I know the amount of precipitate is heavily dependent on amount of solvent (e.g. saturation), and would like to ensure that the solvent is completely saturated so as to not have to freeze precip on my first pull.

I appreciate the help Earthwalker, sincerely!

 

[Earthwalker]

Look Truely I think the ATB is the go with ACRB but I don't think that acid boils are nesacerry , look at Cybs salt TEK it Truely is the future of acacia confusa extractions !!

 

[Poads]

My 2 cents, I think your tek looks fine. I disagree with Earthwalker's idea of doing a 50g extraction. If you already have the root bark, then why not do a 200g extraction? It will save you work in the future. I see no reason to do a tiny 50g extraction.

 

[skoobysnax]

Forgive me in advance if I should've used search before posting this, I'm sure there are posts just like this, however I'd like to err on the side of caution & make sure I have everything correct for this process, as it will be my first extraction & I'm quite excited to see what happens, however I don't want to make a crucial mistake that ruins my pull completely.

I will be following Thick-Light's tek for ACRB, to a T, just changing ratios for different amounts of materials.

I have access to 500g ACRB (powdered), 112g Lye(99.9% pure), Acetic Acid(in the form of 5% White Vinegar), VM&P Naphtha(Klean-Strip), and obviously, H20.

My plan is to use ~200g of the RB for my first extraction, and then continue with the other 300g in a few weeks, I'd like to make sure that I have the basic chemistry principles down, before moving on. Fundamentals, ya know?

So here are the steps I plan to take, if anyone can let me know if this is the proper way to do an A/B that would be fantastic.

1: Begin by boiling ACRB in 600ml H2O + 30ml White Vinegar, boil three times, for exactly one and a half hours each time, combining the liquid of the three boils.
2: Reduce the ~1890ml soln to 500ml
3: Cool soln to room temp, fridge for 3-4 hours to slightly cool it for addition of NaOH.
4: Slowly dissolve 50g NaOH into soln, adding roughly 10g at a time to prevent cracking of glass jars from exothermic reaction.
5: As soon as Lye is completely dissolved into soln, add in ~100ml nahptha.
6: Cap jar containing soln, agitate(slightly) for 5 minutes, rest for 3, agitate for 5, rest for 3, agitate for 5, rest for 3. Allow soln to seperate into two distinct layers.
7: Draw off the top layer of solvent & place into a clean glass jar for precipitation.
8: Allow solvent to sit out at room temp for 6-12 hours, draw off, saving any crystals that precipitate, open the lid of the jar, stick it upside down, on a glass plate, in the freezer & allow nahptha to fall & collect on plate.
9: Take remaining solvent, which has been placed into a new jar & freeze precip for 12-18 hours, repeating this step until no more crystals precipitate out of the solvent.

After this, it's simply collecting weight, comparing yield, and if necessary doing a few more washes with acid on the batch of RB.

Do I have all of this right? This was all from memory, so I may be skipping a few steps, or leaving something out, which is my biggest fear. I will have the tek handy throughout the process & have read and re-read it quite thoroughly over the past few days.

Much thanks for any help or criticism provided!

Safety equipment is not on your list. Add that.
You can use HDPE plastic to add the lye to avoid cracking glass. Just be sure to transfer to glass before you extract. Let it cool.
Hot water bath to warm the naptha , no open flame, vent jar for pressure often, extract with warm naptha in cool soln.
I always add soduim carb wash here to neutralize residual lye etc.
Let the dish precip for 24hrs or more at room temp.

 

[ColorfulColorado]

Safety equipment is not on your list. Add that.
You can use HDPE plastic to add the lye to avoid cracking glass. Just be sure to transfer to glass before you extract. Let it cool.
Hot water bath to warm the naptha , no open flame, vent jar for pressure often, extract with warm naptha in cool soln.
I always add soduim carb wash here to neutralize residual lye etc.
Let the dish precip for 24hrs or more at room temp.

Forgot to include that I have a pair of heavy duty, chemical resistant gloves, a scale & lastly, safety goggles.
I am not too worried about cracking glass, I don't want to have to deal with an extra ~300ml H20
Is adding naphtha right after basifying not correct? I was under the impression that I could use the heat from the reaction of NaOH + H20, to warm my solvent for my first pull. I also plan to have a warm water bath as well.
I will have to pick up sodium carb or make some this week, I am not too worried about lye in the finished product, this run is more for proof of concept than anything.

Thanks for the help Skoobysnax, just got my RB boiling about 45 minutes ago. Wish me luck!

 

[ColorfulColorado]

Update!

So it took me 6 hours last night to do the three boils + strain, and reduce. My starting volume was around 1200mL before reduction, I reduced by half, after reading that you can pack 1kg of RB into 1L water reduced. This left me with an extremely saturated solution, with the possibility for loss of alkaloids quite low.

I then allowed the solution to cool to room temp over 6 hours while catching some z's.

Upon waking, I immediately basified the liquid, using a glass pitcher, only adding 35g of lye(people use way to much, seriously. Once you hit a PH of 14, you can't go higher, why waste NaOH when it's on numerous chemical watch lists around the world?) & achieving a rich, deep black color. To the solution was added 100ml of Nahptha that had been warmed to 100f in a water bath(I've heard of fats and oils being pulled at 110f). The solution was turned, end over end, for 5 minutes, allowed to settle & seperate, and this process was repeated, three times over the course of 30 minutes.

The solvent was then decanted & drawn off, leaving me with an EXTREMELY cloudy batch of Nahptha. This is currently precipitating at room temp, in a dark & cool place. I will update this post with pics of whatever precipitates.

I know for a fact that I didn't get all the alkaloids out of the 200g I started with as it wasn't completely powdered, so I saved the root bark & have it drying on a sheet tray, will this harm anything? I plan to boil another 3 times, and do another 5 pulls with Nahptha(plan for the first batch), after thoroughly powdering the rest of the 200g originally used.

I have also started a batch with 500g of extremely finely powdered ACRB that arrived today.

I will continue to update this post if anyone is curious as to the results, especially seeing as my ratio of lye to H20 is quite low @ less than .5g:10mL. I was quite pleased to see the clouded solvent, however the clouding only occured once decantation from the aqueous phase was complete, is this typical of the nahptha?

I am quite intrigued by the idea of using as little lye as possible, I see people using a ratio of 1:1 RB:NaOH and my only reaction is :surprised seems like that's just asking for trouble(AKA: BIG BOOM!). I have heard many people say "you can't over basify" well no duh, you hit 14 & that's it, so why completely saturate your aqueous phase with an extremely caustic substance that has no use being there? I plan to experiment further with this, tinkering with weight & ratio to figure out just how much lye is really necessary. I'm a big fan of using it to basify, seeing as NaOH is extremely productive at what it does, however I don't like the idea of completely saturating the aqueous phase of the A/B reaction, that seems like a harmful idea too me.

Once again, as always, thanks Nexians, I consider my first A/B with ACRB a complete success & was completely enamored by the entirety of the process. It was quite special being able to pour love, and intent into the batch of spice. There is a certain connection or bond you form with the molecule after extraction of your own, it's quite a special connection really

 

[01777]

the over base is for STB as extra lye helps with emulsions. If you are doing A.B it isn't really needed especially if you filtered out your bark (if you dont then the extra lye will help break apart and hopefully yield more out of the lye but if you weren't going to defat and filter anyway then go STB no need to boil).

I don't know how much shaking you really need. If your solution is saturated enough then you can get away with just a few min of shaking and more time as the solution gets depleted. I have no idea what the separating then reshaking is for... I see everyone doing this. In my mind you just want the nps to touch as much area of the base solution as you can then pull. Separating and re shaking seems overkill to me.

 

[ColorfulColorado]

Update 2:

After about 8 hours, the freebase in my solvent had begun to precipitate at room temp, however it wasn't moving very fast & I figured this was do to a little too much solvent, so I threw it in the freezer. This pic was taken one hour later, and it has been three hours since that point, I just checked the jar and :shock: I can't believe the energy of this batch of spice, it's quite special

Definitely going to cut down on the lye for every extraction I do. Adding more is A) dangerous, B) a complete waste of time, and C) a complete waste of time :lol:

I ran another batch with 500g I received yesterday morning, I worked about 12 hours straight with the two batches today & am exhausted, however I will be sure to update with pics as soon as I wake up in the AM, because this one, just doesn't do it justice. My jaw literally dropped. Coolest thing I've ever been able to do in my life, by far. The science behind it is quite fascinating too!

I don't know how much shaking you really need. If your solution is saturated enough then you can get away with just a few min of shaking and more time as the solution gets depleted. I have no idea what the separating then reshaking is for... I see everyone doing this. In my mind you just want the nps to touch as much area of the base solution as you can then pull. Separating and re shaking seems overkill to me.

It's not shaking, I roll the jars end over end, 50 times, let rest for 10min, roll 50, let rest for 10min, roll 50, let separate, and then decant. I have no clue if it affects yield or not, but every single solvent wash I did today came out COMPLETELY saturated, so I think I will stick with this method. I'm sure that due to the polarization the freebase literally jumps the gap as soon as the nahptha is added, but the point is to get every last bit, why not do everything you can to ensure that happening? We don't know for sure if it jumps the gap or not, I can't imagine adding my solvent, just leaving it for 5 minutes & then trying to precipitate, that doesn't seem like it would work too me(logic doesn't compute) but I'm no scientist(yet), so if anyone else knows the definitive answer on this, please chime in!

Looking forward to further experiments with amount of lye, the 500g batch I ran today, I reduced to right around 1100ml, only added ~85g lye, first solvent pull was so saturated it was cream colored. I call that success. I have a sneaking suspicion about 50g would've been more than enough, however, since it's my second extraction & I lack litmus paper at the moment(bad chemist), I decided to go a little overboard. I definitely didn't want to waste ANY alkaloids from this beautiful batch of bark.

As always, thanks bunches for the input Nexians, it's just nice to hear from other people about what they've done, what works & what doesn't. Take care & check back for more pics in the AM!

 

[Earthwalker]

My 2 cents, I think your tek looks fine. I disagree with Earthwalker's idea of doing a 50g extraction. If you already have the root bark, then why not do a 200g extraction? It will save you work in the future. I see no reason to do a tiny 50g extraction.

If you ask the majority off Nexians about extraction sizes and you'll find that most do extractions of around 100g for a reason !

IMHO

1 / The larger the extraction the less yeild % in return ,

2 / Why would you do an such a large extraction !! Esp if it's you're first go around ??

But it is your choice !!

And 3rdly IMO acid boils aren't necessary and waste a huge amount of time slaving over a hot stove !!

But it's you're choice !! Good luck + never class it a success until you have crystal in you're hands , because more often than not the crystals melt just as quick as they appear !!

Mod Edited: In Your Opinion!

 

[ColorfulColorado]

But it is your choice !!
And 3rdly acid boils aren't necessary and waste a huge amount of time slaving over a hot stove !!

Also my choice? Or no?

Never class it a success until you have crystal in you're hands

Either way, there's N,N-Dimethyltryptamine in my solvent, therefore I consider the extraction a success. It's not about the crystals, it's about the molecule. Crystals are like a $100 pair of jeans for DMT, sure, they look nice, but do they make it a different molecule? No. In the end it's the molecule that matters, not the look. We shall see in roughly 6-8 hours time if it is indeed crystalline, nice-pants wearing rocket fuel, or if it's goopy, poor broke bastard rocket fuel. Either way, it's rocket fuel.

 

[starway6]

Before you add the lye ..[[do a couple defats!]]
You wont be sorry...

 

[ColorfulColorado]

Update 3:

Sorry it's been so long, have had a crazy couple of days. I ended up yielding two grams so far of ACRB red goop, and have a few more pulls evaping now. Freeze precip worked, but yielded goop, so I figured I'd just evap & see what ends up coming out. I've actually found the goop to be quite a bit more potent & enjoyable than the fluffy batch of crystals I had before. I wonder if this is due to the NMT content & also perhaps the B-carbolines that are contained inside the bark. I think I will run through an extraction later this week with a few defats thrown in to pull some white crystals for comparison, but I'm starting to wonder if full spectrum is the way to go.

All in all, like stated in my previous posts, I consider my first A/B a complete success. The Spirit Molecule was obtained & oh boy was that first little dose fantastic.

Can't wait to do more research with the lye as well, because clearly, 1:1 ratio isn't necessary at all seeing as my first 3 pulls yielded 2 g's.

 

[Earthwalker]

That's strange that thick light didn't put a defat step into the TEK especially using ACRB !

Btw Colorfulcolorado , I'm glad all went well,

also the goo is very potent indeed it also grabs you so fast at times it seems you don't even have time to exhale ! Lol :thumb_up:

 

[ColorfulColorado]

That's strange that thick light didn't put a defat step into the TEK especially using ACRB !

Btw Colorfulcolorado , I'm glad all went well,

also the goo is very potent indeed it also grabs you so fast at times it seems you don't even have time to exhale ! Lol :thumb_up:

Cheers Earthwalker!

Had I known prior, I certainly would've thrown at the very least, one defat in, although I am quite impressed with the potency of this goo & attribute some of that to the lipid layer the plant fats provide over the alkaloids, they absorb into my copper scrubby quite nicely as well. 20mg is quite strong too me, 30mg is really pushing it(crysanthemum visible) I have yet to venture further with it, however I have a feeling it's going to be quite easy to journey into hyperspace with this rocket fuel. There's less anxiety when the spirit says peace out to the body, with a stronger tryptamine rush than the last batch I had. Quite lovely stuff.

On a side note; took my first shot of fuel(10mg) in combo with an MAOI last night(Harmaloids extracted via Manske), holy hell, what a beautiful combination. Almost no anxiety on the come up, the come up lasts FAR longer, the visuals are more intense, had minor OEV's and some beautifully colorful CEV's at the peak, and there was almost no mental clouding that I sometimes find I experience with spice. It was lovely to be able to critique my rocket fuel from another perspective. I actually had a period of about 3 minutes where I felt so much energy channeling through me, that I had to stretch & do a little bit of what I think was Tai Chi. It just sort of happened, it was like nothing I've ever experienced with The Molecule before, I was quite fascinated by it. Beautiful experience, I don't know if I'll ever vaporize DMT minus an MAOI again to be truthful.

I have some more crystals precipitating from the combined and then evapped by half 3rd and 4th pulls. The jar is nice and caked with plenty of fairly large deposits on the bottom, and they're now starting to precip on the sides as well, check the pics! Part of me feels like goo may have been the result of a little too much solvent, will have to experiment further with that and with the Lye as well, however I will run seperate batches so as not too contaminate results. I used a ratio of 100ml:~550ml Nahptha to H20, thinking about cutting that by half & using small, 16oz mason jars to decant.

I'm still awaiting the precip of this batch of crystals, planning to leave them probably until tomorrow night (roughly 48 hours), and then planning to do a few more solvent washes on my bark. 2g so far with another .2 or .3 already in the jar(after 14 hours). Over all, I'm quite impressed with the results of this process, specifically the bioassay:wink:

 

[Earthwalker]

Yes 100ml naphtha is a lot I usually use 50ml per pull on a 2ltr 100g extraction but the 2ltr is using Cybs TEK and we don't reduce down any liquids !!

So Colorfulcolorado I'd use proberly 50ml naps aswell ! As Cyb told me 40ml holds roughly 1gram of spice so 50ml pulls are quite sufficient !!

 

[ColorfulColorado]

Dear Nexians,

I would like to first off apologize for resurrection of what may be considered an old thread. However I would like to update with some progress, for anyone who may have been following my journey. This thread has come to serve as a blog of sorts for my foray into DMT & Chemistry alike. This summer, I have been running my own experimentation with the process of A/B extraction, and after many long trial and error runs, with such an amazing and beautiful plant teacher, I have news.

This summer DMT has shown me more than a psychedelic whirlwind of colors & thoughts. I found myself, with the aid of The Spirit Molecule. It didn't do any of the "heavy lifting", that was all done by me, through the climbing of (literal) mountains, jumping off cliffs, and general conquering of fears that I've had forever. It was however, certainly the facilitator for the changes I've made. I knew, and have been, an advocate for the psychedelic experience's power, for quite some time. However, until I actually began to work with the molecule, and to integrate my teachings, I didn't quite understand how powerful the psychedelic experience really is. I found myself this summer.

I start school next Monday, August 18th, 2014. I am first pursuing my AS in Chemistry, at my local community college. I will be following that with my BS in Organic Chemistry at CU Boulder, where I plan to stay and pursue my Master's in Synthesis. After that, I hope to earn my PhD at LSU in Neuropharmacology. I have long struggled with what it is that I was put here to do, I've literally tried everything. I finally found my path, and I can not wait to see where it leads. Nothing has ever captivated me like the process of chemistry, it goes so much deeper than extraction, or synthesis. The elements of the period table quite literally have stories to tell, they just need someone to listen. I hope to be that someone.

Around the first week of July, I had finally earned the funds to order my supplies. I had my first experience with the molecule about 3 weeks prior to that, and boy, did it teach me. I wasn't integrating though, I viewed it as a drug & would simply use it to enter a different headspace. This thread has been the cumulative view of my process, starting as a very fearful, nervous & unsure 'chemist', and now, as I begin my degree programs, ending, as the beginnings of a Chemist.

At the beginning of this process, I had no idea about true chemistry, I understood what it was, the study of atoms & how they interact with each other, but I didn't really know. This whole thing has been the catalyst(I'm punny) for me learning the basics, it's been the driving force behind my fascination with chemistry & the world around us. I can't wait to take it further than simple A/B extraction in my kitchen.

I struggled, for quite some time, with pulling goop. I failed to perform a defat step on my ACRB, because I also failed to do proper research in my haste. Had I done that, I have a feeling the goop never would've appeared. However, I also have a feeling, I never would've formed the goal of ending with crystalline DMT either, because it would've been done for me. It's kind of funny how The Universe works, isn't it?

After much experimentation, and head banging, struggling to figure out where exactly I was going wrong, I got it. I have finally, achieved crystalline DMT. Not fluffy, tiny crystals either, these are akin to small pebbles. I am quite pleased with the ending of this process, as I have completed my last pull on the bark soup for a while(I will be saving it to pull later, just haven't any need for DMT while in school).

It has been a long road, what seems like a long road anyway. I have grown, not only as a chemist, but also as a human being, and a spirit being due to the relationship I have been able to cultivate this summer with N,N-DMT. I don't give it all the credit, in fact, I give it quite a small part of the credit, but it certainly deserves some. It has long been my belief that DMT would find me when I was ready, and I can see now, that this all happened exactly the way it was supposed too.

The psychedelic experience, when used properly, can be extremely powerful & life-changing. I have learned that DMT is not so much a drug, as a tool, it facilitates very powerful experiences, because each one of us Nexians are seen as deserving of these experiences. You don't find DMT, Dimethyltryptamine finds you. Never forget that, and always give the molecule the respect it deserves, you'll be rewarded. I promise you.

Attached is a picture of the crystals, it is a small amount, due to the fact that not much DMT is left in my base soup, but I achieved my goal. No matter how big, or how small your yields, always remember, that's the way The Universe wanted it. The Spirit Molecule has something to teach, and to show each and everyone of us here. Allow it to do so, you won't regret it.

A Happy Chemist.

 

[Earthwalker]

Glad to see you've come full circle and I wish you flourish in you're endevoirs in life Colorfulcolorado ,
good on ya mate EW :thumb_up: