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Separatory Funnel Size

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100g bark will need at least 750ml liquid....so get 1000
Really no need for a sep funnel..just overkill (unless your really into chemistry)
You will also find that powdered bark mix will clog your funnel badly and frustrate the hell out of you.
Just use a glass drinks bottle (1 litre) or a large pickle jar...(save your money for bark supplies)
 
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^ I disagree with poster above. Separatory funnels are very useful if you're doing extractions in general, and you should NOT use it if you're doing an STB. You should use it for A/Bs and acqueous washings/saltings. In those cases, there is no powdered bark clogging the funnel.

Also, how do you suppose to separate layers with a large pickle jar? And using plastic bottles together with anything other than water-based things is not a good idea. Check this for more info:



Re size, I'd say go bigger, it's better to have it a bit bigger than necessary than having it too small, so better go for at least 1l one IMO
 
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endlessness said:
^ I disagree with poster above. Separatory funnels are very useful if you're doing extractions in general, and you should NOT use it if you're doing an STB. You should use it for A/Bs and acqueous washings/saltings. In those cases, there is no powdered bark clogging the funnel.

Also, how do you suppose to separate layers with a large pickle jar? And using plastic bottles together with anything other than water-based things is not a good idea. Check this for more info:

Re size, I'd say go bigger, it's better to have it a bit bigger than necessary than having it too small, so better go for at last 1l one IMO
Click to expand...


Agreed... I should have mentioned STB..my bad!
A/B...sep funnel...great idea

Re: Glass bottle/pickle jar seps (1 litre size) are with turkey baster or pipette...personally never had an issue with this method.
 
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If you are planning to work with 100g+ of MHRB, I would suggest to go for a larger sep.funnel.

I myself use a 1000ml funnel when working with around 50g-70g of the bark...

(Also don´t forget that you can reduce the amount of the liquid by evaporating /heat-trreating/ it down, but in this case please be very careful with flamable chemicals around)
 
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It very much depends on how much you extract and how much you like to reduce to. I like to extract 250–300g MHRB at a time, and I reduce to around 200mL/100g bark, with ~60mL non-polar solvent per pull. I got a 1L funnel, I would like a smaller one as well, maybe 250mL for smaller jobs like washing.
 
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Gonna go ahead and bump this thread. Kash's mescaline tek works with 100g of cactus and the pulls are from a reduced amount of 500ml total. I can't see this being a problem with MHRB at all. Let's find out eh ? I'll post results probably next week.
 
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I use a 1000ml funnel with spectacular results.

It really helps me to control what goes into my decanting jar and what stays behind.

I would go 1000ml if you can, 2000ml is rare to find but if you can find one, GRAB IT!
 
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Yes, it's more comfortable to go for a big funnel. 2000 ML is a good size. Running mescaline extraction or mimosa/acacia will be much more easy.
 
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But isn't a bit of a pain to separate the top fraction (like the top layer holding the freebases) using an large separatory funnel? I personally find it quite messy and not as easy-as-advertised. I also get the impression that people often think that sep funnels will greatly ease their extractions without thinking too much about how they plan on using it or whether it will actually make things easier.

If your solvent rises to the top (naphthas, aromatics and terpene-based solvents) then siphoning off is far more practical in my opinion. A sep funnel will really not make things easier in this situation. Why?

1. As you remove the bottom basic aqueous layer with a view to keep the top (solvent) the basic aqueous layer will be smearing the sides of the sep funnel. In the end (and unless you take extra steps like adding more water to clean off the smears, then separate again etc, uuugh, the pain!) you will have a far more suboptimal and dirty separation than siphoning the top layer.

2. Moving around by transferring the basic layer does not sit well with my idea of safety. Really, why get into the situation of moving around from vessel to vessel a caustic solution? Safety-wise, makes little sense. Just leave it be in one constant container.

However, if the solvent sinks (like in halogenated solvents e.g. DCM) then the true potential of the sep funnel is realised.

I find that a small sep funnel (250-500ml) is excellent for salting naphthas, aromatics and terpene-based solvents. Instantly practical because in such cases the bottom aqueous layer with the salted alkaloids is collected. Cactus extraction definitely benefits from a small sep funnel to assist with the saltings, and for said job, no way a large sep funnel is necessary.
 
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It seems the general consensus is 1000ml is a reasonable size for a 100g MHRB extraction. I think I'll start with that size and see how it works out. They only cost about $35, plus I'll need a funnel & some type of stand.

What size & type of funnel would you guys recommend?
 
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DancinDog said:
It seems the general consensus is 1000ml is a reasonable size for a 100g MHRB extraction. I think I'll start with that size and see how it works out. They only cost about $35, plus I'll need a funnel & some type of stand.

What size & type of funnel would you guys recommend?
Click to expand...
The preceding post sums it all up very nicely:
Infundibulum said:
But isn't a bit of a pain to separate the top fraction (like the top layer holding the freebases) using an large separatory funnel? I personally find it quite messy and not as easy-as-advertised. I also get the impression that people often think that sep funnels will greatly ease their extractions without thinking too much about how they plan on using it or whether it will actually make things easier.

If your solvent rises to the top (naphthas, aromatics and terpene-based solvents) then siphoning off is far more practical in my opinion. A sep funnel will really not make things easier in this situation. Why?

1. As you remove the bottom basic aqueous layer with a view to keep the top (solvent) the basic aqueous layer will be smearing the sides of the sep funnel. In the end (and unless you take extra steps like adding more water to clean off the smears, then separate again etc, uuugh, the pain!) you will have a far more suboptimal and dirty separation than siphoning the top layer.

2. Moving around by transferring the basic layer does not sit well with my idea of safety. Really, why get into the situation of moving around from vessel to vessel a caustic solution? Safety-wise, makes little sense. Just leave it be in one constant container.

However, if the solvent sinks (like in halogenated solvents e.g. DCM) then the true potential of the sep funnel is realised.

I find that a small sep funnel (250-500ml) is excellent for salting naphthas, aromatics and terpene-based solvents. Instantly practical because in such cases the bottom aqueous layer with the salted alkaloids is collected. Cactus extraction definitely benefits from a small sep funnel to assist with the saltings, and for said job, no way a large sep funnel is necessary.
Click to expand...
Take good note of those two caveats. Still a handy piece of kit though.
 
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Transform said:
The preceding post sums it all up very nicely:

Take good note of those two caveats. Still a handy piece of kit though.
Click to expand...

I was looking at volumetric pipettes also. Maybe that would work better. I saw that they are available in various sizes. Would a 100ml model be a good choice for 50ml pulls? I'm thinking that the extra room will allow space to re-separate if I happen to pull a bit of black stuff with the NPS.
 
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If you are set on using a sep funnel then I think 1000mL is a good all rounder. Having a second 500mL is great for cleaning steps. 2000ml is generally unnecessary but sometimes can come in handy. Mine sits in the cupboard 99% of the time. Of course they're not essential, but if sep funnel is your desired workflow then 1000mL and 500mL is my suggestion.
 
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Infundibulum said:
But isn't a bit of a pain to separate the top fraction (like the top layer holding the freebases) using an large separatory funnel? I personally find it quite messy and not as easy-as-advertised. I also get the impression that people often think that sep funnels will greatly ease their extractions without thinking too much about how they plan on using it or whether it will actually make things easier.

If your solvent rises to the top (naphthas, aromatics and terpene-based solvents) then siphoning off is far more practical in my opinion. A sep funnel will really not make things easier in this situation. Why?

1. As you remove the bottom basic aqueous layer with a view to keep the top (solvent) the basic aqueous layer will be smearing the sides of the sep funnel. In the end (and unless you take extra steps like adding more water to clean off the smears, then separate again etc, uuugh, the pain!) you will have a far more suboptimal and dirty separation than siphoning the top layer.

2. Moving around by transferring the basic layer does not sit well with my idea of safety. Really, why get into the situation of moving around from vessel to vessel a caustic solution? Safety-wise, makes little sense. Just leave it be in one constant container.

However, if the solvent sinks (like in halogenated solvents e.g. DCM) then the true potential of the sep funnel is realised.

I find that a small sep funnel (250-500ml) is excellent for salting naphthas, aromatics and terpene-based solvents. Instantly practical because in such cases the bottom aqueous layer with the salted alkaloids is collected. Cactus extraction definitely benefits from a small sep funnel to assist with the saltings, and for said job, no way a large sep funnel is necessary.
Click to expand...
This may well be true, but getting the base tea into the pipette and having it coat the inside of that is also massively irritating, and incredibly difficult to avoid with the last portion of solvent. Separation funnel is on my wish list for the new year, for sure.
 
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