does it actually matter if my hydroxide water is cloudy/clear when i put root bark in?

[smyle4ever]

i've been doing my first yields based on this Tek "Mushie_Man Tek" 100g of MHRB Straight to Base DMT Extraction - (1-3% yield & NO HEAT - STB - Welcome to the DMT-Nexus

the first batch i did, my water was very cloudy even though i kept mixing it, i ended up just using less and less hydroxide (probably 1/3 of the recommended 40 g lye in TEK) until i had a mostly clear mixture - this is why im worried that maybe it didnt break down my root bark walls very well)

could i just have the water be cloudy yet stirred well - and then my mimosa will break down good. I don't see why it would cause issues in the yield

let me know your thoughts, maybe 10-15 minutes of mixing isnt enough ( i sure hope it is though )

 

[acacian]

As long as the lye is dissolved then I don't think there's anything to worry about. Provided you use enough, and that its completely dissolved - then the lye will do its job. It goes clear within about a minute of dissolving. I'm not really understanding what your asking here about cloudiness though.. the way the water looks is really not an issue. Just dissolve your lye in water, stirring so it doesn't cake to the bottom of the vessel and then leave it to sit for a minute before adding to your bark. But important to remember that not using enough lye in an STB extraction could affect how the bark breaks down.. so make sure your using enough.

 

[Transform]

If you've used water with an appreciable calcium/magnesium hardness content, you'll see a cloudy precipitate.

Pure lye in distilled water should dissolve to a clear, colourless solution. It may appear cloudy at first as air (dissolved oxygen) gets forced out of solution in the form of tiny bubbles. These will slowly float to the surface and disperse.

If the cloudiness persists, you've either used hard water, or impure lye. One more possibility would be contaminants from your glassware or other materials and equipment you're using.

 

[smyle4ever]

If you've used water with an appreciable calcium/magnesium hardness content, you'll see a cloudy precipitate.

Pure lye in distilled water should dissolve to a clear, colourless solution. It may appear cloudy at first as air (dissolved oxygen) gets forced out of solution in the form of tiny bubbles. These will slowly float to the surface and disperse.

If the cloudiness persists, you've either used hard water, or impure lye. One more possibility would be contaminants from your glassware or other materials and equipment you're using.

likely the hardness content since i used sink water & the lye is indeed pure, ill try distilled - thank you

 

[Transform]

likely the hardness content since i used sink water & the lye is indeed pure, ill try distilled - thank you

With luck, it shouldn't affect the extraction too much - chlorination is worse. A simple solution to both these issues is to boil the water briefly before use - and let it cool before adding the lye, unless you happen to find exploding glassware amusing, perhaps

 

[smyle4ever]

With luck, it shouldn't affect the extraction too much - chlorination is worse. A simple solution to both these issues is to boil the water briefly before use - and let it cool before adding the lye, unless you happen to find exploding glassware amusing, perhaps

so i started a new yield today with distilled water instead of sink, it was a clear mixture with the hydroxide after a couple minutes of stirring so im sure this yield will have quite a bit more

 

[Transform]

so i started a new yield today with distilled water instead of sink, it was a clear mixture with the hydroxide after a couple minutes of stirring so im sure this yield will have quite a bit more

The fine particulates from hard water can also contribute to emulsion formation, so you may at least notice better recovery of solvent volume from your first pull.

 

[smyle4ever]

The fine particulates from hard water can also contribute to emulsion formation, so you may at least notice better recovery of solvent volume from your first pull.

the solvent was a good bit more saturated yellow, pull also was probably 3x the amount of my previous dmt pulls- the crystal was a bit more yellow but after drying it out/putting it into a cartridge its definitely not lesser in dmt content. much appreciated!

 

[Transform]

the solvent was a good bit more saturated yellow, pull also was probably 3x the amount of my previous dmt pulls- the crystal was a bit more yellow but after drying it out/putting it into a cartridge its definitely not lesser in dmt content. much appreciated!

Glad to hear it worked out! Also, it's rather interesting to note this comparison of results with hard water vs. distilled. That's quite a surprising difference, it seeming like the hard water really reduced the strength of the lye.