Sodium Carbonate/Limonene interaction...

[plumsmooth]

I did as much reading as was available and am currently unsure as to the compatability of these two during base>pull stage of A/B. I'm interested in a mission that involves purifying an old, yet rather sentimental Aya brew. It had been sitting around for several years, even occasionally energetically/physically seeding other brews. This brew must have had several different things growing in there at some point, in addition to lots of natural slow crashings out over the years-- probably Harmalas. SWIM not have heart to get rid of it.

Ah ha, however, can purify starting with the Harmalas.
Redissolve all precipitates with the aid of hot water vinegar:
Base with Sodium Carbonate: Collect Harmalas:

Now What? Anyway, need plan.
Seems if solution is already Basified with Carbonate, easiest approach would be remain Aquous, maybe add some more Na2CO3, then pull with Limonene, then salt with vinegar.

However, after reading through the last (Na2CO3/Limonene) experiment that left the large emulsion... not sure.

Of course another option would be reduce, dehydrate, and add Lime and proceed from there.
Any ideas or suggestions or anyone have their latest feeling on the interaction between these two (Na2CO3/Limonene)
I'm not sure I understand enough about emulsions to think that the acid used could effect it:

help base with sodium carbonate - A/B - Welcome to the DMT-Nexus

Could using Phosphoric Acid have had something to do with it.

P.S. Thanks for your consideration Knowledgeable ones...

...Every Neo-Shaman needs a good technique for purifying an old Ayahuasca Brew!

 

[plumsmooth]

Original Brew Ingredients: I believe 1 pound each Yellow Caapi/Chacruna
Old brew was re-dissolved using Vinegar and Hot Water.
Put on stove to boil and evaporate down to approximately 600ml.
While cooling 200ml almost saturated Na2CO3 water was added quickly.
Mason Jar was placed in fridge, nothing seems to be going on...

10 Minutes later, to SWIM's surprise:
Oh My, must have been some good Caapi:

 

[endlessness]

I would avoid limonene.. first of all it does tend to form emulsions with sodium carbonate solutions, and secondly it seems some harmalas might oxidize in it (though I havent tested it myself, just read this).

Anyways I would decant/filter (might take a while, be patient because first harmala filtering is always tricky), then redissolve the harmalas in acetic acid, filter a few times (keeping the liquid, discarding the filter/any solids), and reprecipitate again , for some purer harmalas..

 

[plumsmooth]

Point I was trying to make was that the Limonene would be used After the harmalas were filtered-- to work on the rest of the alkaloid make-up.

I never planed to introduce Limonene at this stage being that would be counter productive.

My inquiry at this point resides in an approach to collecting whatever remains from the chacruna part of the brew, which will remain bathed in Na2CO3-- unless there is a way of removing that?

So the way I see it there are several of options, first, proceed (after collecting Harmalas), staying with Na2CO3 and adding Limonene as a pull.

Or evaporate enough to do a Limetek.

Of course this could be a concern regarding mixing Lime and Sodium Carbonate?

Or what about last but not least, a semi-dry, or dry version of Na2CO3 tech, whereby the contents are dried or almost dried then pull with Limonene to gather that which remains.

I sincerely request your help, Knowledgeable ones...

 

[plumsmooth]

P.S. Does any one have a brilliant way of collecting these Harmalas that is better than Turkey basting, small eye dropper, then finally swirling and pouring into a buchner funnel with a homemade coffee filter funnel filter. Thanks, I'm convinced there is a better way. And also I feel Na2CO3 gets trapped in the goop on filter on first run-- can smell it on there.

 

[plumsmooth]

Well I realize this is probably the wrong department for the ultimate direction of this thread, however...:

A lot of Harmalas seem to have been lost in the recovery process.
As abundant as it first looked in the picture, the current picture perspectifies things... (making words up is fun).

I forgot to take pictures of the next stage dealing with the harmalas.

Basically, to make a long story short, 4-5 Collection rounds were made with 80ml buchner funnel using 101's, and then some coffee filters cut into disks, after decanting to best of ability...
Decanted material was placed in separate vessel for further refinement.

Disks were dried, scraped and collected, looked like dark red/black flakes (keep in mind this is an attempt to recover alkaloids from a three year old Ayahuasca brew).

Finally, scraped of filter paper material was redissolved in a couple splashes of White Vinegar and boiling water,
then put back in the glass kettle to boil....

There was (picture here would be helpful) all this undissolved dark red/black crap that wouldn't dissolve even after 10 minutes simmering and PH below 5...
This is where I feel some of the loss occured...

This crap lined the filter paper and stayed in the glass teapot.
This stuff seems to be some strange hardened formation that maybe occured during the basification process-- maybe even from the old chacruna part of the brew...

Finally filtered through No. 6 Coffee and rebasified (this time realizing that a lot less Sodium Carbonate was needed than originally thought),

It became apparent at this point that harmalas are slipping through the 101 filters (got new pack).

This part of project put on hold.

After a day, remainder of project is resumed:

This time, with the other part of the Ayahuasca brew: The part that is being saved, after basification and collection of Harmalas

Despite concerns about interaction between Sodium Bicarbonate & Limonene, SWIM figures good experiment to see...

Total Volume Remainder after harmala collection, and rebasification, is boiled down to 2/3 volume approximately 2/3 quart.

100-150 ml Limonene is added to the very warm water.

First, stirred, then shaken.

Emulsion formed, then resolves it self in an hour or two.

Current Harmalas Left; Current State of Limonene Pull on the remainder after collecting harmalas from very old Ayahuasca Brew containing approx. 1lb each Yellow Vine... Peruvian Chacruna... respectively...

Next Step: waiting for 102 & 103 filter paper to arrive, to collect remaining freebase harmalas,

will Pippette the Creamy Limonene from Top of Mason Jar and attempt to salt-ify using Vinegar in a separatory funnel.

And evaporate...

When 102's arrive, will collect Freebase Harmalas after second basification, hoping that they are bigger than 10 Microns.
Otherwise will try 103's and hope the rest of the shit doesn't clog my scene man..........................

Then I'll get back to the chacruna part of this old 1/2 dose Ayahuasca brew purification attempt.

My fingers are tired...