DMT Acetate to Freebase Conversion

[qetoh]

Just a small chemistry question here. I've recently extracted DMT acetate following the Q21Q21 tek. But since the acetate form is not ideal to smoke I'll convert the DMT into freebase.

I've read about converting the DMT to freebase using sodium carbonate. Would this react water, DMT acetate and sodium carbonate to form DMT freebase, sodium bicarbonate, hydroxide and sodium acetate like below?

H2O + Na2CO3 + CH3COOB –> B(+) + NaHCO3 + OH(-) + CH3COONa

("B" stands for DMT)

Thanks

 

[nnBarry]

edit: what downwardsfromzero said.....

 

[qetoh]

Thanks for the help. I would use lime instead of sodium carbonate like in the Q21Q21 tek, but since lime is poorly soluble in water I'll use sodium hydroxide.

It seems too simple, but couldn't I just separate the fb DMT using water after adding sodium hydroxide? After all, there's no other precipitate that forms unlike with sodium carbonate:

Na+(aq) + OH-(aq) + CH3COO-(aq) + BH+(aq) –> B(s) + H2O(l) + CH3COO-(aq) + Na+(aq)

 

[downwardsfromzero]

Just a small chemistry question here. I've recently extracted DMT acetate following the Q21Q21 tek. But since the acetate form is not ideal to smoke I'll convert the DMT into freebase.

I've read about converting the DMT to freebase using sodium carbonate. Would this react water, DMT acetate and sodium carbonate to form DMT freebase, sodium bicarbonate, hydroxide and sodium acetate like below?

H2O + Na2CO3 + CH3COOB –> B(+) + NaHCO3 + OH(-) + CH3COONa

("B" stands for DMT)

Thanks

The reaction with an excess of sodium carbonate is roughly as follows:
Na2CO3 + CH3COO- BH+ –> B + NaHCO3 + CH3COONa

Your second reaction scheme is getting closer:
Na+(aq) + OH-(aq) + CH3COO-(aq) + BH+(aq) –> B(s) + H2O(l) + CH3COO-(aq) + Na+(aq)

Things that are the same on each side of the equation can be cancelled out:
Na+(aq) + OH-(aq) + CH3COO-(aq) + BH+(aq) –> B(s) + H2O(l) + CH3COO-(aq) + Na+(aq)

Aqueous sodium carbonate acts as a source of hydroxide ions for the above equation:
2Na+(aq) + H2O(l) + (CO3)2-(aq) –> OH-(aq) + (HCO3)-(aq) + 2Na+(aq)

[Really, I should write this stuff with the proper superscripts and subscripts. It's a shame that the and BB code apparently isn't supported in this editor any more.]

If you have a very pure solution of DMT salt (e.g. acetate) you should be able to collect solid freebase after chilling the reaction mixture in the fridge for a while. However, it is easier to prepare DMT fumarate in a state of sufficient purity than it is the acetate.

Another approach is to perform the reaction as a paste (whether using lime or soda), let the water evaporate to dryness, then collect the liberated freebase using a solvent such as acetone, ethanol or isopropanol. Freebase can then be recovered by evaporation of the solvent, or the solution can be used quite conveniently as is for volumetric dosing.

As a footnote, addition of water to sodium bicarbonate will only liberate carbon dioxide if the water is boiling.