I know this isn't the right subforum, but it's one of the few I have the ability to post in, so I'll post it here.
I've read that bufotenin freebase oxidizes relatively quickly to bufotenin N-oxide in open air. I think it was 69ron who suggested that such oxidation could be responsible for the strong negative effects and lack of psychedelic activity (especially visual) when it was used by researchers in the 50s and 60s. Some of the unpleasant effects are likely from bufotenin itself, from reports I've read, and the clinical setting and subjects (many of whom were involuntary) were also likely to blame.
Two ideas immediately come to mind for its storage: a vacuum-sealed container or storage in a nitrogen gas environment. Both have their own pros and cons. Vacuum-sealing is unlikely to be complete unless high-quality professional equipment is used, so there would likely be some oxygen present with which the freebase could react; it would, however, allow samples to be taken from the container and re-sealed without too much trouble. With nitrogen gas, opening and resealing the container would be a bit of a pain since some would escape, and it would have to be refilled. However, with some pressure behind it, N2 can be used to basically completely replace the oxygen in a container.
A third alternative would be to store the bufotenin as a salt and freebase with sodium carbonate or some other weak base when needed, but it would be rather impractical for situations other than infrequent use.
Any other ideas? Has anybody heard of any other methods or people's experiences in this matter?
I've read that bufotenin freebase oxidizes relatively quickly to bufotenin N-oxide in open air. I think it was 69ron who suggested that such oxidation could be responsible for the strong negative effects and lack of psychedelic activity (especially visual) when it was used by researchers in the 50s and 60s. Some of the unpleasant effects are likely from bufotenin itself, from reports I've read, and the clinical setting and subjects (many of whom were involuntary) were also likely to blame.
Two ideas immediately come to mind for its storage: a vacuum-sealed container or storage in a nitrogen gas environment. Both have their own pros and cons. Vacuum-sealing is unlikely to be complete unless high-quality professional equipment is used, so there would likely be some oxygen present with which the freebase could react; it would, however, allow samples to be taken from the container and re-sealed without too much trouble. With nitrogen gas, opening and resealing the container would be a bit of a pain since some would escape, and it would have to be refilled. However, with some pressure behind it, N2 can be used to basically completely replace the oxygen in a container.
A third alternative would be to store the bufotenin as a salt and freebase with sodium carbonate or some other weak base when needed, but it would be rather impractical for situations other than infrequent use.
Any other ideas? Has anybody heard of any other methods or people's experiences in this matter?
