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Oops, I Salted Before Acidifying! Can My Extraction Be Saved?

Tamora

Tamora

Esteemed member
Hey everyone!
So, I had this grand plan to do a plant extraction, and I was supposed to add 5% acetic acid to the material first, let it simmer for a good 8 hours, and then finally salt it. But in a moment of what I can only describe as “creative misinterpretation,” I went ahead and salted it right away. 😅

Now, I’m wondering—have I doomed my precious plant material, or is there some way to salvage this? Has anyone else made a similar mistake? (Please tell me I’m not alone in my impulsive seasoning!)
Any advice, tips, or reassuring stories would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance for helping out this accidental chef-chemist.
 
Varallo said:
Don’t worry about it, just let it soak a bit then base and proceed as usual😺, while waiting a bit, read your favorite book and drink a cup of your favorite tea, and enjoy your time sending positive vibes into your extract
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Thank you so much for the warm welcome 😊.

I'm really glad to be here - it seems I've found the right place for my less-than-perfect but enthusiastic extraction attempts! It's great to know there's a community of seasoned pros who understand the ups and downs (and occasional mix-ups) of the craft. I'm sure my plants are as grateful to you all as I am! 🌱 and I will take your beautiful and life advice to heart and let that energy flow into the extraction

I look forward to sharing my journey with you, asking a few more “oops” questions and hopefully celebrating a few small successes with you all. Cheers to new wonder, new worlds, friends and less accidental seasoning! more happy accidents 😅

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
 
Hi, welcome! Unless the water you've used was very alkaline, the omission of acid is nothing particularly to worry about.

It's unclear to me whether, by "salt" you mean adding actual salt - sodium chloride - or if you're referring to changing the pH, in this instance apparently by adding base.

In extraction terminology, "salt" can also, and most often, mean "converting the (usually, dissolved) freebase back into salt form by adding acid". Yes, this ambiguity can be somewhat perplexing!

On the plus side, omitting the acid does mean that you may save a little on the amount of base to be added, or - if you haven't added any base yet - it's quite possible to add a splash of acid for luck and then go and enjoy that cup of tea as @Varallo suggests.
 
Transform said:
Hi, welcome! Unless the water you've used was very alkaline, the omission of acid is nothing particularly to worry about.

It's unclear to me whether, by "salt" you mean adding actual salt - sodium chloride - or if you're referring to changing the pH, in this instance apparently by adding base.

In extraction terminology, "salt" can also, and most often, mean "converting the (usually, dissolved) freebase back into salt form by adding acid". Yes, this ambiguity can be somewhat perplexing!

On the plus side, omitting the acid does mean that you may save a little on the amount of base to be added, or - if you haven't added any base yet - it's quite possible to add a splash of acid for luck and then go and enjoy that cup of tea as @Varallo suggests.
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Thank you for the clarification - and for the warm welcome! 😊

To answer your question: Yes, I meant real table salt, plain old NaCl! I added about 1000 ml of filtered water and, just to be on the safe side, some distilled 5% white wine vinegar to achieve a pH between 2 and 4. At the moment it's simmering away happily, with a little too much water and of course the NaCl.

My plan is to follow the description in the next step and add about 40 g of NaOH (dissolved in about 100 ml of cool, filtered water) to achieve a pH of 12+. Does this sound like I'm on the right track?

I'm grateful for any advice you can give me - I'll have a cup of tea in your honor, and keep putting lots of good vibes and energy into the yet soooo special Spice while I wait! 😄
 
Yes, this sounds pretty good. A shortish simmer should do - and maybe keep an eye out for any curious behaviour from the inclusion of salt in the simmer. The chloride ions may cause a minute increase in the already minimal corrosion of a stainless steel pan, and dissolved salt also increases the boiling temperature slightly. Overall, this is most probably completely insignificant.
 
Transform said:
Yes, this sounds pretty good. A shortish simmer should do - and maybe keep an eye out for any curious behaviour from the inclusion of salt in the simmer. The chloride ions may cause a minute increase in the already minimal corrosion of a stainless steel pan, and dissolved salt also increases the boiling temperature slightly. Overall, this is most probably completely insignificant.
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Thank you, this makes a lot more sense now! 😊





I’ll keep an eye on the water level and make sure it’s not too diluted. I didn’t realize that the salt could create a bit of a “brine effect,” so thanks for the heads-up—I’ll watch out for any separation issues. When I add the NaOH, I’ll go slow and check the pH gradually rather than aiming for a perfect 12.





I’ll be sure to report back on how the extraction goes—fingers crossed it cooperates! Thanks again for all the guidance. 😄
 
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