gammagore said:
A question for the cacti dudes, does the evap temp make a difference to end result? or is it the temp at which the mesc is pulled by the limo?
I believe evap temp does make a difference in the end result, at least with mesc HCl salts. I'm not very familiar with acetates, but with HCl salts a higher temp evaporation (170F/77C) always resulted in a darker end product. Evapping over a reptile heat mat in a pyrex pie plate gives much brighter, whiter crystals with beautiful clear fan-like patterns. I always attributed the color difference to some non-mesc stuff getting charred in the oven but I have no scientific evidence to back that assertion. Again, this is with HCl, not acetate, so there may mat be a direct parallel.
I've never really noticed a difference in end product (after a few washes with acetone and IPA) between hot solvent pulls and cold ones. Except that the colder pulls don't seem to grab as much good stuff so more pulls are necessary.
In terms of potency between higher heat evap and lower, I've never noticed a difference but 69ron swears that higher temps (or at least evapping above a certain temp) produce a less active product. I've always heard that mesc HCl is very stable, even at pretty high temps so I'm not sure who's right. Of course it could be that higher heat destroys some of the non-mesc alkaloids and/or active impurities. If that's the case, then I could see how a heated product might provide for a less intense experience. The
mescaline content might be the same, but it now lacks some of the 'other stuff' that augments or potentiates the effects. Again, this is with HCl.
I wonder if the same thing can happen to mesc acetate as seems to happen with DMT acetate when heated. From what I've heard the DMT acetate seems to break down into acetic acid and DMT free base when heated, so DMT acetate can be vaporized with decent effects. Maybe the same thing happens to mesc acetate when heated and the acetic acid breaks away from the mesc free base. If that's the case then perhaps you
ARE losing
mescaline in the oven, as I assume that the free base is less stable under high temps than the salt. Just a guess. Anyone else have an opinion on this? Can any chemistry gurus chime in?
All the above is based on speculation and simple observations with HCl salts produced from limonene pulls, so please don't apply what I've mentioned directly to acetates without thinking it over first. YMMV, but I hope the info helps. I'd love to hear others' experiences with different temperatures, solvents, acids, etc.
-JM