Getting serious...

[SazzleToe]

Hello,

I’ve been experimenting with this particular plant-based alkaloid for years, though never with much structure or precision. Recently I decided to take the science seriously. I’ve been studying hard, dialing in my methods, and the results have improved dramatically.

Most of my feedback loop has come from AI tools, which are useful but obviously imperfect. I’d really value the perspective of someone who has deep experience with this material and the surrounding chemistry. My goal is simple: refine my process, understand what I’m missing, and learn from someone who actually knows what they’re doing rather than reinvent the wheel alone.

Over the past few months I’ve built out a proper small-scale lab setup — analytical tools, glassware, controlled-temperature equipment, filtration systems, all the protective gear, the whole nine yards. I’ve invested real time and money because I take the work seriously and I want to do things responsibly, safely, and with respect for the science.

I’m not sharing any of this to brag. I know people work with a wide range of approaches. My hope is that my commitment signals that I’m looking for a thoughtful mentor who cares about best practices and can offer me guidance on how to keep im
proving.

 

[yatyas314]

Hello, sounds like your in the right place.
First question that jumps out at me is what do you think your missing ? if you can get clearer on that I am sure you will get some really experienced feedback here.
Y

 

[SazzleToe]

I don't really know. I may be right on the money with things but I cant be certain of that without discussing what I am doing with someone who has experience and a more robust understanding of the underlying chemistry than I do. My chemistry and extraction knowledge comes solely from my brief experimentation with this process. So I have no basis for feeling like I am taking all considerations into account. The problem with this subject matter, unlike say working on a car or something, is that finding resources to consult and learn from is exceptionally difficult, if not impossible, in a mainstream sort of way. Hence why I have come here and asked what I have asked..

 

[Varallo]

Hi there, and a warm welcome. You’ll find that the Nexus has a lot of answers, though it can take some time and digging to uncover what you’re looking for.

If you don’t mind me asking, which alkaloids are you interested in learning about, and what drew you to them? Have you gained any insights from your exploration so far?

Feel free to jump into the chat anytime to talk in real time with other members, and let’s learn, share, and expand together.

 

[PedroSanchez]

you are certainly in the right place. there are a lot of very knowledgeable people here who really know their chemistry.
i joined a few years ago with zero knowledge about chemistry and people here helped me learn everything i needed to know to do my first extraction and beyond, and to learn exactly what was happening while i was doing it. they were happy to answer all my entry level questions and were friendly about it. i love the people here! they make this place the best forum i have ever been on.
i also intended to take my knowledge further as you are, but i have been away for a couple of years. i have signed back in today for the first time in a long time

i agree with varallo about joining the live chat. it is much faster pace and you might find it better to just bounce ideas off other people quickly there.

it is difficult to know what to say to help you if you do not know what you want to know. i mean that respectfully, not trying to be rude. for example you might be trying to maximize yield, or you might want to learn more about what is happening at each stage of your chosen process.
maybe you could explain your process and your results and people could give you feedback from there? or ask questions about any parts of the process that you do not fully understand?

you could also grab some beginner organic chemistry books if you plan to get into chemistry in general. i would love to recommend some but i am not that deep yet myself.

 

[Pandora]

SazzleToe,

Welcome to the Nexus. If you are discussing DMT extraction there is no need for unnecessary complexity and I am skeptical that folks who use complex setups get better yields. I just keep it simple with straight to base extraction and keep my starting materials small. Smaller batches give better % yields (according to @benzyme, a bench chemist who is generous with his knowledge base). I think the key to good extraction is keeping it simple, taking your time and working with small batches.

Now that I got that out of the way has this fancy equipment helped you with DMT extraction? Have you tried anything else like mescaline or harmalas?

Have you smoked/vaped your DMT? What did you think . . .

I'm glad you signed up and I hope the guys can give you the answers you are looking for. Again, welcome.

 

[Toshido]

This is where it all started for me. I knew next to nothing about extraction and learned here a cpl years ago, and after a long hiatus I am back to continue my experiments. If you would like to see some of variables I've been tweaking in order to get the best yield in the shortest amount of time you can check that out here. This is my Toshido's Hot Plate A/B TEK which utilizes a combination of methods from various TEKS on the Nexus Wiki and in the sticky thread for Extraction Pathways. Start a thread and let us keep track of your progress, would love to see what you're up to. This place is full of wonderful people who are very helpful in these quests.

I too wanted to get the proper materials because I take these medicines and their extractions seriously. I still don't have the money for an entirely dedicated lab but I try to get the best instruments available to me, as it comes with my OCD as well haha. Cheers!

 

[Icon]

Cool, I'll have to check out that thread Toshido.

I'm also interested in exploring organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, crystallography, etc. I just like science in general but since it's just a hobby I like to get creative with it too.

If you have a bigger budget than me you could get into inert gas. I'm drooling over a schlenk line. Or even just a vacuum desiccator I think would noticeably improve the quality of kitchen spice. There's more ideas in the advanced chemistry section.

But as Pandora said, the concept of extracting DMT is pretty simple and you can get very pure results with simple teks. For example, my next extraction I wanna try to do primitively. I'll setup a campsite, pick some wild berries, mash them into an acidic juice, boil some spring water over a fire, throw some of the ashes in there, and pull with... hmm I haven't figured that part out. Maybe I can distill some alkanes off of charcoal?

OP it kind of sounds like you're looking for a walter white to take you under their wing or something, which is flying close to the sun lol. There are career chemists that can't even find work in the blooming psychedelic industry. If you're really serious about it I'd suggest higher education. You'd need it to keep up in a conversation with these mentors you seek. But it's more of a team effort here.

 

[Toshido]

For example, my next extraction I wanna try to do primitively. I'll setup a campsite, pick some wild berries, mash them into an acidic juice, boil some spring water over a fire, throw some of the ashes in there, and pull with... hmm I haven't figured that part out. Maybe I can distill some alkanes off of charcoal?

This would be extremely fulfilling to pull off. I would be lost at the nps stage. Please start a thread and plan that journey out, would love to follow, as I camp 4x a year off grid.

 

[PedroSanchez]

my next extraction I wanna try to do primitively. I'll setup a campsite, pick some wild berries, mash them into an acidic juice, boil some spring water over a fire, throw some of the ashes in there, and pull with... hmm I haven't figured that part out. Maybe I can distill some alkanes off of charcoal?

this sounds right up my alley
i second toshido, please start a thread about this