Hello and welcome, what a great way to make an entry with some very pertinent observations and questions!

This set me thinking - what heating method was used? How do the solventless, vacuum conditions square up with the ethanol + nitrogen that has been used here so far? Would a vacuum, or inert atmosphere, plus microwave irradiation drive the reaction favorably?

It seems clear to me that the calcium acetate treatment appears to block some of the active sites in the catalyst, so it would be good for our intrepid team of experimenters to give the bicarb wash pre-treatment a try.

I really ought to get some CBD!