DMTripper- a/b=acid/base extraction b/a=base/acid b/a/b=base/acid/base In case you dont know generally alkaloids are alkaline, hence the name, and generally insoluble in water. when the alkaloid molecule bonds to an acid, via the electron of the alk' to the proton of the acid,(electro valent bond) the alkaloid molecule is then water soluble, but only because the acid is, and it is connected to the acid. This phenomenon is used to get alkaloids freely floating in water solutions, because once it is locked in solution, one can remove things such as fat/clorophyll/oil maybe even polymers with a non-polar solvent like naphtha. A basic compound such as sodium hydroxide or potasium hydroxide is added in sufficient amounts which reacts with the acid, forms compound with the acid, and the alkaloid is knocked free from the acid molecul, acids like hcl. have only 1 proton,(electro valence=week bond), when this happens the alkaloid is again alkaline, and insoluble in water. Using the same non-polar solvent, the alkaloid can be removed from the water and it can be removed by itself(pure alk') because everything else that was non-polar, fats etc, was already removed when the alkaloid was connected to the acid. Some fats, lipids for instance, are non-polar over all, but have an area that is slightly polar, picture a straight line, the line is non-polar, yet one end is slightly polar the other end is not, but the whole thing is called non-polar because of its response to polarities. These can get into the end product, in such cases, the a/b is done on the end product again, but obvioussly on a smaller scale, it should work because these water soluble fats are really non-polar, and want to get out of the water and in the naphtha. Brain cell membranes are made of these fats, the non-polar ends of the "straight lines" bond together, the neuro-transmitters that are nonpolar such as anandamide the endo-cannabanoid are stored within this bond and when the membrane potential of that cell is excited to where it expands, the transmitter is released from the cell which excites another cell membrane to open and it absorbs the transmitter into the non-polar layer within that cell which in this case would be the cannabanoid receptor. A b/a is the reverse approach.