Do I need an ammonia wash?

[Carpeljets]

SWIM has recently used Noman's tek and has yielded very pure white crystals. Is the ammonia wash/recrystallization a requirement when SWIM's product already appears pretty clean? SWIM doesn't wanna be smoking anything bad like lye, but SWIM is finding it difficult to get non-sudsy ammonia and the recrystallization seems like it will get rid of a lot of material when SWIM already doesn't have a whole lot. Are there any simpler ways to get rid of any contaminants? SWIM plans to use everclear to infuse some herbs with the spice once he is sure it is clean.

 

[acolon_5]

Place a little bit on your tounge. Does it burn or just taste a little bitter. If it burns I would suggest recrystalization and/or a wash. Ammonia is not the way to go. Most people agree that there is too much lost and little actually washed (you're only washing the surface area of the crystals).

A sodium carbonate (washing soda) or sodium bicarbonate wash works much better without lossing a lot of your product.

Make a solution of washing/baking soda and water. You only need 50-100mL of water and a teaspoon of soda. Mix until as much has dissolved as possible, filter out the remaining soda. Redissolve your spice in some warm naphtha and mix the soda solution and naphtha. Swirl around for 1-2 minutes max and remove the naphtha. Let sit at room temperature until mostly evaporated for big crystals, or put back in the freezer for powder.

 

[diox8tony]

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[acolon_5]

iv read to not use baking soda.
i know i can get washing soda at lowes or other pool cleaning facilities as a pH adjuster.
but i already have baking soda. im inpatient. and cheap.
so will baking soda do any harm? or is it not recommended just because it doesn't work as well?

I use baking soda without any problems. Very little loss of yield. Some people have expressed concern over yeild loss, but I have not found this to be true.

Ammonia has been repeatedly reported to wash away about 10% of your yield...

The wash I do with baking soda is only about 2-3% and most of that is probably oils. Just remember to wash the naphtha that has the spice in it, not the actual DMT crystals.

 

[diox8tony]

...

 

[acolon_5]

thank you acolon for such a quick reply.
my main concern was baking vs. washing soda.
swim is going to try the baking soda wash right now.

another question while iv got your attention.
when recrystallizing swim has always poured the naphtha+dmt into a new container(right after dissolving the dmt into warm naphtha) for the freeze precip,
the reason being was so that the yellow oil is separated from naphtha solution. but iv noticed all the teks suggesting leaving oils at bottom of container.and precipitating with this gunk at bottom of dish.
i figure i lose a little dmt when seperating the two but it didnt stop me.
iv jut done a recrystal without separating the two, ill see how this works.
edit: the crystal have preciped, and there is a yellow layer at the bottom of my crystals, the yellow layer is 1/3 the thickness of the entire bunch, so if swim were to scape the white ones away swim would be left with 1/3 gram of very yellow crystals, i think ill stick to separating the oil from the naphtha before freezing.

what do you do when recrystallizing? leave oils at bottom or separate into clean container without oils?

Well there are two schools of thought on this.

1) the oils are good and add a smoothness to the experience
2) pure clear swords of dmt crystals are the best

So it really is a personal thing. I keep a little of each. Usually though, I let the naphtha still for a few minutes and let the oils pool to the bottom and decant the naphtha into another jar.

I always keep all my oil from all of my recrystalizations in a seperate container (it usually crystalizes in a few days). I can either do a quick A/B on the oils, or smoke as is. It is quite a bit harsher, but works just fine at slightly higher doses (20-30% more is needed for breakthrough).

 

[gimpy]

Place a little bit on your tounge. Does it burn or just taste a little bitter. If it burns I would suggest recrystalization and/or a wash. Ammonia is not the way to go. Most people agree that there is too much lost and little actually washed (you're only washing the surface area of the crystals).

A sodium carbonate (washing soda) or sodium bicarbonate wash works much better without lossing a lot of your product.

Make a solution of washing/baking soda and water. You only need 50-100mL of water and a teaspoon of soda. Mix until as much has dissolved as possible, filter out the remaining soda. Redissolve your spice in some warm naphtha and mix the soda solution and naphtha. Swirl around for 1-2 minutes max and remove the naphtha. Let sit at room temperature until mostly evaporated for big crystals, or put back in the freezer for powder.

Right, i've been searching the forum for a proper method for this washing business, and that was it, cheeers alacon.

I hadn't bothered with either washing or recryst (after Noman's tek), i found the end-product to be perfectly smokeable pure white crystals, so didn't see much point. But i;ve got a friend who doesn't, I'm mean really doesn't, smoke, but he's up for snorting something for the dmt experience. And i'm worried that if there's gonna be NaOH in the crystals, he's gonna be in a little pain...

So just one question about the method above: how would you "remove the naptha? I presume it separates into the 2 layers - so separate as normal? It's just u dont state it.

 

[notapillow]

Place a little bit on your tounge. Does it burn or just taste a little bitter. If it burns I would suggest recrystalization and/or a wash. Ammonia is not the way to go. Most people agree that there is too much lost and little actually washed (you're only washing the surface area of the crystals).

A sodium carbonate (washing soda) or sodium bicarbonate wash works much better without lossing a lot of your product.

Make a solution of washing/baking soda and water. You only need 50-100mL of water and a teaspoon of soda. Mix until as much has dissolved as possible, filter out the remaining soda. Redissolve your spice in some warm naphtha and mix the soda solution and naphtha. Swirl around for 1-2 minutes max and remove the naphtha. Let sit at room temperature until mostly evaporated for big crystals, or put back in the freezer for powder.

how does one remove the baking soda wash solution from the natha.
pour it off or eye dropper?

 

[Entropymancer]

Eye dropper, the naphtha floats on the water.