Can't Basify Above PH 12.

[Buttsack]

I'm tring to basify the vinegar/water/plant mix to a PH of 13 but can't get much above PH12. I can basify water to 13 no problems but the 500ml of liquid I have is being difficult. I thought maybe the heat was affecting the reading but I've let it cool and it still gives the same reading. I've done another extraction previous and only got to a PH of 12 with fairly good results.

Am I doing something wrong?
How much sodium hydroxide should be added to make 500ml of liquid PH13?

 

[Buttsack]

I think I may have added too much sodium hydroxide. Will too much sodium hydroxide take the ph back down again? I'm very confused because I added some water to the liquid I have and the ph rose slightly. So I hadded about 2L of water to the 500ml I have and the PH rose from 12 to 12.9.

Can anyone please tell me why this happened? How can too much sodium hydroxide make the ph drop?

 

[headphoneperson]

It is really hard to know without more info, but I would guess that perhaps your pH meter is not working?

I had that problem once. Tossed the pH meter and then just added enough sodium hydroxide to turn the solution black, then added more to eliminate any and all emulsion, then added some more for good measure. If that doesn't do the job, then...well...add some more

Happy extracting.

 

[scarbelly]

Theoretically, adding "too much" NaOH shouldn't lower the pH... Sodium hydroxide is a strong base, which means when dissolved in water, it completely ionizes. 1 mol of sodium hydroxide for every liter of total solution (a concentration of 1 molar) should get the pH all the way to 14. This of course would be if there is no acid in the solution prior to this, but my point is that adding sodium hydroxide should continue to raise the pH.

Do you keep the pH meter always in whatever necessary "storage" solution it needs (this could just be vinegar or something similar depends on the meter)?
Did you calibrate it prior?

 

[Buttsack]

I thought it might have been a dodgy ph meter so I bought a new one and borrowed another and all have the same results. How many tea spoons of sodium hydroxide would you guys add to 500ml of liquid? It's okay to say get it black then add more but how much more? Can you over do it and have sodium hydroxide come out in the final product?

 

[endlessness]

no you cant over do it, lye doesnt dissolve in the non-polar solvents.. If its black and you added some more, its probably fine, just extract, dont shake when mixing the pulls and if by any chance you have problems with separation, add more lye/salt.

 

[Wanderer]

As a general rule, if you can't get the pH very high (or solution very basic), adding heat and agitating tends to help. Even a pH of 11.5 should be fine if you heat it and stir enough. And as endlessness said, you can't overdo adding lye. It's highly soluble in aqueous solution, and insoluble in non-polar solvents. Any excess in aqueous solution just precipitates out or settles out of solution.

-- Wanderer

 

[taz]

Hi,

I've experienced something similar.
I added so much lye and ph UP that it "broke" my meter. (which now only reads 16 - 17)
It did seem to up the pH to add more water, which was a but surprising.
I'd like to know more about that oddity, if anyone knows.

As someone starting the journey, its been helpful to understand the physics behind the process.
This is one that I do not understand.
I'm going to to take another looks for science.