Scientific explanation for breaking emulsions with NaOH or NaCl

[m4estr0]

Hello, another question...

It is often recommended to add plain NaOH or NaCl (dissolved or not in water?) to an emulsion to break it. Haven't tried this yet cause emulsions haven't really been a problem so far.

But if the time comes, I really want to understand why it is that this may work.

 

[m4estr0]

Answering my own question... Turns out this problem is not unique to DMT extraction and therefore can be googled:

http://www.chemistry.sjsu.edu/straus/EXTRACTION%20htms/Extraction.htm

How does adding a salt (such as sodium chloride) help to break an emulsion?

Answer (1 of 2): “How does adding a salt (such as sodium chloride) help to break an emulsion?” Anika Shearing’s answer is right. Emulsions are colloidal dispersions of droplets of an liquid in another liquid, being both liquids immiscible. Emulsions are usually kept stable by the presence of an...

www.quora.com

 

[murpheous]

I have heard the term 'salt' if you get an emulsion, but no clarification on what that means or how much to add. I have also heard 'salting' refer to the addition of vinegar, which does not make much sense to me.

Have you come across other instructions related to dealing with emulsions (using a lime/vinegar + naphtha tek)?

 

[Bisy]

this is a total under educated guess, but I believe "salting out means acidification a solution to cause desired compound to convert to salt form and precipitate out.

 

[Bisy]

and/or using salt to alter the ionic charges and force a compound to become insoluble or something like that

 

[Jees]

this is a total under educated guess, but I believe "salting out means acidification a solution to cause desired compound to convert to salt form and precipitate out.

Freebases get more water soluble in the salt-form (dissolved in an acidic liquid), this stands apart form adding enough kitchen salt (with heat) to precipitate a la manske when cooling down again.
The word salt can be misleading.