Extraction Help (Condensation messing stuff up)

[JisforJohnathan]

This is a pretty basic question and i actually had the link recently but deleted my history and cant find my way back.

Anyway, during the freeze precipitation step done w/ acacia confusa i have heard people are having a lot of trouble with condensation that seems to be getting inside the container and contaminating the end product. I have heard people say they tried putting it in a air tight container and even covering w/ plastic wrap but still end up with water droplets inside. anyone know the link or how to fix???

 

[Entheogenerator]

Having always used a precipitation dish with an airtight lid, I have never had a problem with condensation getting inside. But as long as you are certain that the water droplets are condensation, and that they are not from your basic extraction solution, I really don't see how water bubbles could be a problem. I mean, you're going to have to let the spice dry anyways...

EDIT: Also, just for future reference, basic extraction questions like this really belong in the Official Extraction Help Thread.

 

[benzyme]

how about adding epsom salt to the nonpolar solvent?
in the case of a semi-dry product, recrystallization with hexane or heptane, followed by vac-desiccation, works wonders. it's just a matter of investing in the equipment (vacuum, and vac desiccator).

 

[JisforJohnathan]

Sorry! Thought this was the right area. I'm a noob to the site.

Benzyme...I will try the epsom salt for sure. it's cheaper and easier to get than all the equipment.

Entheogenerator... the problem would be these water droplets touch all the xstals and melt them. turning the solution into a watery cream colored saturated liquid. the liquid seemed to dry completely up and there is nothing left. like it clean evaped... it's just all gone.. weird.

Edit: only left a small portion out to dry, not the entire thing. there would still be roughly 50 ml of dmt saturated liquid left

 

[Entheogenerator]

It sounds to me like something else is going on in addition to condensation. The presence of a couple water droplets during freeze precipitation wouldn't just make DMT crystals vanish into thin air. I have had small droplets of water present in the past when I was freeze precipitating. They just melted then evaporated while my DMT crystals were drying without causing any problems.

 

[DreaMTripper]

Seems like a 'goo' issue to me, NMT and other substances melting into the crystals. Or a sort of caramelisation of some plant oils mixing with the water. A small ammount of water left in before freeze precip can cause havoc.
If they are absolutely positive they havent pulled some water with them then maybe a mini acid base after the pulls have been collected may help..
These are exceptionally good for sealing
http://www.thedrum.com/uploads/drum_basic_article/94785/main_images/DE JAR_x3_0.jpg

To be honest though we can only guess without actually being there and watching it being done.

 

[Earthwalker]

In the sat I've had condensation on the sides of my precipe dish before and the only thing I could think of what was causing it would be placing plastic wrap or air tight lid when the naphtha was still a little warm then placing strait into the freezer !!

So I've never had a problem since I allow for it to cool fully before glad wrapping to make my dish airtight ! Hope this helps :thumb_up: