Extraction query

[jmc27]

Hi guys
Trying my 1st extraction from mimosa bark.
Mixed water and lye, added the bark and the naptha.
Stired daily for 3 days then when I went to draw of the naptha it hasn't separated.
Just dark sludge.
Any ideas gratefully received

 

[Transform]

Hi there.

Keyword is emulsion.

First extraction questions

I will be doing an extraction soon and as a newbie I have a lot of questions. Could you please review my extraction process and suggest some improvements? Ingredients/equipment: 2,74 Litre jar 2,54 250 grams of MHRB 200 ml Wundbenzin 40/65 (non-polar solvent) as much NaOH as needed to get to...

forum.dmt-nexus.me

Hope this helps you get the ball rolling!

 

[jmc27]

Hi there.

Keyword is emulsion.

First extraction questions

I will be doing an extraction soon and as a newbie I have a lot of questions. Could you please review my extraction process and suggest some improvements? Ingredients/equipment: 2,74 Litre jar 2,54 250 grams of MHRB 200 ml Wundbenzin 40/65 (non-polar solvent) as much NaOH as needed to get to...

forum.dmt-nexus.me

Hope this helps you get the ball rolling!

Thanks so much for pointing me in a direction.
Been adding loads more lye today and so far, no luck.
Could it also be the water content?
It was quite thick before, so have added a bit more water.
Any other advice is really appreciated.
Cheers

 

[Transform]

Thanks so much for pointing me in a direction.
Been adding loads more lye today and so far, no luck.
Could it also be the water content?
It was quite thick before, so have added a bit more water.
Any other advice is really appreciated.
Cheers

You'd also have to make sure your lye, bark and naphtha are OK. Have you been using tapwater? Hard water may sometimes cause emulsion problems, or this seems to be the case occasionally as a correlation.

And don't shake the jar too hard!

 

[jmc27]

Amazing, thank you.
Successfully got some separation yesterday but there appears to be a sludgy layer just underneath the naptha.
Is that normal or bad?
Thanks again for the info

 

[Transform]

Amazing, thank you.
Successfully got some separation yesterday but there appears to be a sludgy layer just underneath the naptha.
Is that normal or bad?
Thanks again for the info

The sludgy bit is the emulsion proper. You can pipette off the clear naphtha now. To avoid getting stray lye droplets from the emulsion coming over into your product, get a pyrex glass jug ready with a bit of saturated sodium carbonate (washing soda) solution in the bottom. This will wash your naphtha before you transfer it to the precipitation container.

Don't worry about getting all of the naphtha, these losses will be recovered by doing more pulls. It's more important to avoid bringing over lye contamination.

You can either add fresh naphtha now, or re-use the old naphtha after the freeze precipitation. Whichever way, mix it in with a gentle but thorough rocking and rolling action to avoid worsening the emulsion.

It may also be worth seeing if adding a bit more lye will help clear up the emulsion before you add more naphtha.

 

[jmc27]

Amazing
Thanks again for the help

 

[Transform]

Amazing
Thanks again for the help

You're welcome. There's an unbelievable amount of extraction experience recorded both here on the forum and in our wiki, even if organising and updating it is a perpetual work-in-progress!

I hope your next pulls go more smoothly, and it would be lovely to be updated with your results - maybe even a pic or two of your lovely crystals once they've emerged.

Make sure you check up on a few more tips for the crystallisation phase, and maybe drop in to the chat for more of a realtime interaction.