Defat solution separation problem.

[BlackNoise]

Hello fellow Nexians. I was attempting to defat my ACRB in an 1 liter acidic solution of water and naptha. After the 6th shake and separation no long split into three layers but it is now two layers pictured below.

Can I still recover my naptha from this? How can I separate an emulsion into the original 3 layers?

 

[Hieronymous]

Hello BlackNoise, welcome to the Nexus.

You've stated that the extract separated into 3 layers, which seems a bit unusual. Normally you should have only two layers - the polar and the non polar layers anything else is normally a temporary layer of the combined non polar and polar layers before they separate.

I can't really see any problematic emulsions in those pics. If it has separated into two layers you should be able to remove and discard the defat solvent. That solvent doesn't seem to have picked up much crap anyway, so in this case a defat could have been a bit of a waste.

I've come to believe that the defat step is for the most part a redundant process that is not needed and most of the time it's not very effective anyway. A mini A/B post extraction is much more effective.

I've found most emulsions (which you don't really have in those pics) can be alleviated by surface tension. When the emulsion is in a confined area - like the surface area of that jar/glass or whatever you are using it will seem really nasty but if you tip the vessel on its side and roll it gently the emulsion will spread out over a larger surface area and surface tension will spread the bubbles out and let the emulsified portions relax and emulsions just spread out and break.

Some really persistent emulsions are difficult to break but most are easy to break by increasing the surface area they are acting on. Tip the vessel on it's side and let surface tension pop the emulsive bubbles allowing the layers to separate with some gentle rolling.