seconded freebase gone milky

[michaeljohn1234m]

I'm doing the Bounty TEK.
I did my first freebasing all was well
I then let it dry and put it into hot Vinegar and added warm sodium carbonate (Probably To much)
turned milky and has stayed milky
So how do i recover the harmalas
any Ideas welcomed

 

[downwardsfromzero]

Hello and welcome!

Presumably you're referring to this method:

https://bountybotanicals.com/blog/syrian-rue-extraction-bounty-tek-/

(Bit cheeky of them to call a very standard extraction method after themselves but w/e...)


So, you've redissolved crude freebase harmalas into vinegar, then added sodium carbonate. Had you diluted the vinegar? What type of vinegar was it? And you say "hot sodium carbonate" - was this a hot solution or powder from the oven? And did you used distilled water, or tap water? If the latter, is it soft wateror hard?

While you should be expecting cloudiness on adding the sod.carb., it's necessary to check the exact status of your mixture since there are other byproducts which may cause clouding depending on what you've used and how concentrated it is.

Quick take: you've still got your alkaloids, but they may or may not be contaminated with sodium acetate and/or calcium (or even magnesium) carbonate. It also looks like you ought to find some better filter paper and/or a funnel.


Have a read of our harmala extraction guide on the Nexus wiki. You've given me the impression you're not entirely sure how an alkaloid extraction works. When you understand what each step is for, it starts to make sense since it's actually rather easy.

 

[michaeljohn1234m]

Hi downwardsfromzero
Thanks for replying
I used Cornwells white vinegar (naturally fermented), and I did not dilute the vinegar,(it was hot 60c ).
I used Lectric Washing Soda in hot 60c, (tap water) (I mixed a lot of soda in a small jar)
when I first tried to mix then together(a drop) the soda just reacted too much (bubbled).So I waited till they were just warm and pour the soda in till it change colour.
this there is something siting in it

 

[downwardsfromzero]

You may start seeing better results if you use distilled "white" vinegar, and distilled or deionized water. Also you need to pay attention to the concentrations and the amounts of these reagent materials you're using. Knowing the percentage acidity of your vinegar would be particularly useful (more useful than a brand name).

Washing soda will always fizz when added to acid - it's when it stops fizzing that shows the acid has been used up. Your extraction can still be salvaged but I'd suggest getting hold of some better vinegar and possibly distilled water if your tapwater makes limescale.

Do you have a funnel? That part of the "Bounty 'tek'" would be potentially useful at this point.