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[NEW SUBFORUM] Collaborative Research Project

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Entropymancer

Entropymancer

Esteemed member
OG Pioneer
Chemical engineer
I'm pleased to introduce an exciting new area that we're expanding into here on the Nexus: the Collaborative Research Project! This is a group project, and I'd like to invite everyone (new members, veterans, and even you lurkers out there) to lend a hand. The Nexus needs your help with this one!



I. What is the Collaborative Research Project?

The Goal
To collect information about obscure or less known plants and chemicals.

How It Works
There are a lot of obscure plants that we would like to have more information on (little-known ayahuasca additives, for example). That information can be found in a variety of sources (journal articles, botanical literature, herbarium collections, etc.), but has never been collected in one place before. The problem is that collecting all of this information is a big project for one person to undertake.

That's where you come in: Since we have so many active users on the forum, there's no need for just one person to take on the entire task. If a few dozen members can each spend a few minutes once or twice a week contributing to the project, we can generate a comprehensive collection of information on an obscure plant or chemiWcal very quickly.

Who Can Participate
Everyone! You don't need to be an expert or have access to special resources to help out. All you need is a little spare time, an internet connection, and the ability to copy-and-paste. We encourage all members, new and old, to consider spending a few minutes to help make the Nexus an even more valuable source of quality information.

How do I help?
Check the list of priorities (below) to see what plants and chemicals we're currently working on. Then just pick a topic and start searching for articles or other sources of information about the topic. Google Scholar or PubMed are good places to start; if you don't have access to the full text of the article, this service has been recommended as a way to gain access. For a more comprehensive list of resources, check out the Guide to Researching Psychoactive Plants: Resource List.

Once you've found an article (or other source) that mentions the topic you're researching, copy the important sections and paste them into a post in the appropriate thread (if a thread for your topic hasn't been created yet, feel free to start one). Be sure that you include a citation for the source of the information. To make this easier, there is a data entry template below that you can copy-paste into your post.

That's all there is to it! If you're interested in helping out, let us know what areas you would like to help out with. Don't worry, we won't harass you about contributing, we just want to have a general idea of how many members might participate in the project.




II. Data Entry Template

Code: 
----
[b]Source[/b]
[Fill any of the following fields that apply]
Author(s):
Year Published:
Title:
Pages:
Journal: Name, Volume, Issue [For journals/magazines] 
Publisher: Publishing Company, City [For books only]
Link/URL: 

[b]Information[/b]
[Copy-and-paste quotes or information from the source here]
----
If the material that you are quoting cites other sources, please copy-and-paste their bibliography information for those sources.

If you want to include a data table or other info you can't copy/paste from the document, take a screenshot and attach it to your post. This is usually a very simple process:
  • Press the PrintScreen key on your keyboard
  • Open a simple image editor (e.g. Paint for Windows users) and paste the image
  • Select the part of the image you want to attach, then press crop
  • Save the cropped image as a .jpg file
  • In the "Post Reply" screen, check the "Attach files to this post?" box; once you hit "Post", you will be taken to a screen where you can upload the file.

For an example of what good completed entries look like, see the Callaeum antifebrile thread or Posts #2 and #3 in the Tetrapterys methystica thread.




III. List of Topics and Priorities
When a thread has been created for a topic, it will be linked on this list. High priority topics are in bold.

Ayahuasca complex
Other Tryptamine Plants
  • Delosperma species
  • Desmanthus species
  • Mimosa species (other than M. hostilis/M. tenuiflora
Other Harmala/MAOI Sources
Chemical Data
Phalaris
  • Research on Phalaris species is in good shape; see The Phalaris Analysis Thread. At this point Phalaris species just need more practical work (e.g. TLC analysis of extracts by people growing grasses to find strains/conditions to produce optimal alkaloid profiles).
Acacia




IV. Project Participants

  • purple_dye (Desmanthus illinoensis)
  • SnozzleBerry (various ayahuasca additives)
  • endlessness (chemical analysis; ayahuasca complex)
  • Entropymancer (whatever strikes my fancy)
  • Zaka (botany)
  • oden
  • relent (Tabernaemontana sananho)






Big thanks to purple_dye, Snozzleberry, endlessness, and The Traveler for helping to kick off this project!


See also:
[*]An Idea for A Collaborative Research Project
[*]Guide to Researching Psychoactive Plants: Resource List[/url]
 
Entropy, great sum up and organization!

A few things: Would it be a good idea to organize the list by putting first the banisteriopsis caapi and related plants, then the ayahuasca admixtures and then the other dmt-containing plants?

Also the third on the list is not only of harmala-containing plants but also of other plants like T sananho and to find the info on some phalaris alkaloids..

Should we add to the priority list "different Psychotria viridis kinds" too? In the intro essay of sbarret77, he posted a very interesting link with some pictures of Psychotria viridis varieties with pictures: plantasenteogenas.org .

I also think in your post, where you link to google scholar, it might be good to have a brief mention of this resource (I know this is linked in your "research databases" thread, I thought since this thread here is more concise, it could reach people's attention easier if they did not dig much through the databases thread)

If anybody needs help with sources that are in spanish or portuguese, feel free to ask, I can help. In fact im gonna start searching in those languages, might come across some things we're missing so far?

This project is very exciting!
 
Thanks endlessness! I've made a few edits based on your input.

A few things: Would it be a good idea to organize the list by putting first the banisteriopsis caapi and related plants, then the ayahuasca admixtures and then the other dmt-containing plants... Should we add to the priority list "different Psychotria viridis kinds" too?...
Click to expand...

Yes, this evening I'll revise/update the list. We can organize it into categories (Ayahuasca complex, European & North American tryptamine plants, etc.). I think that, in general, we'll try to have a separate thread for each species that we cover. Highest priority topics will be in bold, and once a thread is created for the topic, the list will link to that thread.

I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do when we all work together! :)
 
Wow I'm so happy to see this idea started a whole new sub-forum!

I'm in this for the long run!

Glad to see a list started for people who are interested. Perhaps we should start a whole new thread specifically for people to sign up? I think this method would be much more effective.

Id like to see a template of just 5-6 "found resources" to have a better understanding of what a finished product should look like. The reference above is great but there is something to be said for an actual example.

Kind Regards
 
purple_dye said:
Id like to see a template of just 5-6 "found resources" to have a better understanding of what a finished product should look like. The reference above is great but there is something to be said for an actual example.
Click to expand...

Here you go: Callaeum antifebrile Workspace.

C. antifebrile really doesn't need any more attention (though Callaeum psilophyllum could use a look), I'll just need to finish dumping my sources in there. But it serves as a good example of what finished entries using the Data Entry Template will look like.

Typically when citing sources, I just format them per the Chicago Manual of Style (or with slight variations on that theme). MLA and APA formats are also good if you're more comfortable with those. I included the data entry template so people don't feel like they need to learn a "proper" citation style in order to contribute.
 
Thanks Entropymancer!

I kind of feel like a lab rat for this project :p

I'm trying to get access to http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/np50025a011 via Science Huβ Publishing- Leading the Information Highway – Leading the Information Highway and am not quite sure what I'm doing wrong.

I copy/paste the url into scihub's search engine and end up with THIS link which just ends up linking me back to the original link.

Maybe I'm not using this tool correctly.

I don't mean to be needy but I suspect that if I'm having issues here that others will as well. Little help please :)
 
..it would be good to at some point collect the data into a single document, pdf, or even publish formally somehow..in terms of both analysis and bioassay the Nexus is a long way ahead of most of the formal scientific community at the moment..as Snozzleberry's MAPS talk demonstrates, but that was only the briefest of introductions..
..even interested researcher friends who are aware of the Nexus seem to miss a lot the work/results from here..
.
 
This is a very good overview and articulately detailed and descriptive. I would like to know if there are any details that might be added regarding to the use of iodine vapors in lieu of a UV light for determining the retard factors of suspected alkaloids/compounds present on the TLC plate. Does anyone bother with this method?
 
hokedonhealing, I`ve been working regularly with TLC, but never with iodine vapor, would that be to simply visualize the spots, or what would be the necessity/advantage of using it? Isn`t it easier to simply have a plate with UV fluorescence such as those f254 plates, and view it under short wave UV ?
 
I believe that is the method of action from the I2 vapors. As far as why you would use this method? Perhaps you have I2 crystals and but do not have a UV light. It is just another option to view the spots on the TLC plate that should be known as it add's another tool to the chest. Options are good. :d

"Iodine
The staining of a TLC plate with iodine vapor is among the oldest methods for the visualization of organic compounds. It is based upon the observation that iodine has a high affinity for both unsaturated and aromatic compounds."
 
Adding tools to the box is definitely good. :) Though I was wondering, how would be the proposed source of iodine and preparation for the method?

Though portable UV-C lights are common place now, you can search `germicidal wand` or `pocket UV purifier' ... Some work much better than others but in general these UV-C lights work pretty well for 10-30 bucks.

And then having a couple of different reagents such as marquis mecke ehrlich, it's quite a mobile, easy to assemble and reasonably reliable method for analysis and attempting identification of compounds. At least that's how I worked the most.
 
Ah I did not know they can be purchased so cheap these days. Last one I purchased many years back was quite expensive but was made for the lab.

The procurement of I2 is usually accomplished by the oxidation of KI to yield elemental I2. This is a very fast and easy process that yields a good deal of iodine crystals with the use of OTC H202 and muriatic/hcl acid.

H2O2 + 2HCl + 2KI -> 2H20 + 2KCl + I2.
 
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