Minimizing loss during filtration? Enough loss to worry about?

[resonanting_sloth]

I'm doing STB from mimosa bark, pulling with naphtha, evaporating ~40%, and freeze precipitating dmt crystals. For whatever reason, my later pulls have crashed out nice amounts of dmt, but the crystals are tiny, granular, and not sticking to the jar at all. This makes collection a bit trickier.

I'm more used to filtering things to gain a clean filtrate as opposed to keeping the residue. In this case, I don't want the naphtha to warm up and re-dissolve the dmt. I do not have proper filter paper right now- only coffee filters.

1) I could pre-treat the filter with naphtha from the jar.
2) I don't want to do the filtration process in the freezer, as it is used for food.
3) I want to minimize loss both to the filtrate and to absorption into the filter.


I suppose losses would be minimal, but I wonder if there are any tricks I can use for simple gravity filtration. I'd rather not end up with a dmt-impregnated piece of paper, even though it would be a simple matter to put that small amount of dmt back into solution. Long ago, I had a couple filtration processes like this go sideways on me in the past, so I'm a bit scared of filtration. (trying to remember what those projects were...sadly, I can't)

Thanks,

Slotherson

 

[BathtubSkyPirate]

I put my jars in the fridge for day or so in the fridge first, when i put them in the freezer first i'll get tiny crystals. Although iirc if let longer in the freezer you'll get larger crystals (never done this though).

Coffeefilters are fine.

 

[resonanting_sloth]

Thanks for the reply.

I still wonder why I do not have crystalline material stuck to the sides and bottom of the jar I use to freeze precip? It's possible that the glass is coated with a thin layer of plant fat which makes adhesion impossible. Just a guess.

I left a recent jar in the freezer for ~2.5 days and saw no difference in yield or structure compared to 1-1.5 days. I believe that "crashing out" the material happens quickly, on a microscopic level, and the tiny pieces coalesce due to some sort of affinity.

I'm sure your way is better- slower reduction of temperature. However, I believe that "crashing out" material does have its place when purifying the spice, as I noted here: "Sorta-recrystallization" a.k.a. "why you should play with your brain food" - First steps in Hyperspace - Welcome to the DMT-Nexus (It's just a current personal preference which is subject to change) I might find it worthwhile to combine the fridge/freezer with the saturated solvent crash for a nice dense cake of material.

I'll go ahead and set up a little coffee filter rig tonight and gather the dmt in the jar. Hmm, using a small bit of filter, properly folded, would logically minimize loss to absorption into the filter media.

 

[BathtubSkyPirate]

Good luck resonating_sloth, let us know how it went.
Attached three pictures to see the differences short-longer-longest.

 

[resonanting_sloth]

Ooooh "longest" is beautiful!

Filtration didn't go so well. I blame room temperature. I kept the filtrate of course, and I washed the filter as well as possible to get the goodies back in solution.

That 500g MHRB extraction's on its last leg anyway. I'm setting up 100g of powdered bark tonight in hopes of some beautiful white spice! (Leaving town for a canoe trip wed. though, so I have to hurry)

I'll need to revisit filtration in the future. Vacuum would help.

 

[BathtubSkyPirate]

Filtration didn't go so well. I blame room temperature

What happened? Did the fluffies disolve in the solvent during the filteration?

 

[resonanting_sloth]

Yes they did. It looked like a pretty nice yield for being late in the extraction, but they dissolved as the solution was poured through the filter.