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The official "Is this chem ok to use? / Where can I find ...?" thread

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endlessness

endlessness

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It is a common question that people ask, if a certain chemical is OK to use for extraction or not, and also where to find such and such chemical. Instead of cluttering up the forum with hundreds of threads about it, those who have these question can post here (and threads made with such questions will be merged here).

But before asking such questions, here's a few important links you should THOROUGHLY read:

Check what your solvent contains here thread

FAQ: Is my solvent/chemical OK to use ?

The Suppliers section
 
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Okay, I have found CAS 64742-49-0, described by the seller as "petroleum ether 40-60". According to some old posts here, 40-60 ether should work fine. ECHA says it consists of "hydrocarbons having carbon numbers predominantly in the range of C4 through C11", but doesn't specify which ones are more abundant. Would this one be preferable?

I also have access to heptane.
 
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blig-blug said:
Okay, I have found CAS 64742-49-0, described by the seller as "petroleum ether 40-60". According to some old posts here, 40-60 ether should work fine. ECHA says it consists of "hydrocarbons having carbon numbers predominantly in the range of C4 through C11", but doesn't specify which ones are more abundant. Would this one be preferable?

I also have access to heptane.
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Definitely try this after evap test.
 
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Hello fam,

In the process of swim working out a new route, swim did a vinegar test on some klean strip xylene. Same as the vinegar test for vm &p naphtha. The klean strip xylene did NOT pass this test. Precipitate did form.

This may not be an issue for teks where the xylene doesn’t come into contact with vinegar. Thought it worth sharing perhaps

Also, be wise do the same test with a solution of h20 and sulphuric acid as well as a solution of h20 and sodium hydroxide and mix w klean strip xylene to see if any precipitate forms…

A control test was done by swim w two diff brands of vinegar. Heinz and signature brand. Also control test was done by shaking vinegar in the test jar alone. As well as shaking xylene in the test jar alone to eliminate the jar lid being the culprit.

Zippo fluid did NOT pass this vinegar test in swime either. 🤷‍♂️ Bestine also did NOT pass the vinegar test. Although swim used this bestine years ago successfully, it was not exposed to vinegar in that tek…

Swim will obtain some asc grade solvent and do the vinegar test and report back.
 
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makkapakka said:
I've also gotten the same results from acuminata phyllodes in the past. a/b extraction with shellite yields brown/orange goo that smells like dmt but doesn't combust (can't smoke it) and doesn't give a high. it's likely a problem with the solvent. should probably use something other than bunnings Shellite to be honest
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Do you know of a high quality alternative to Shellite?
 
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koota said:
Do you know of a high quality alternative to Shellite?
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Check this out first:
Northerner said:
Defat/de-oil steps are compulsory with most native Australian acacia species ime. I found putting the initial pulls straight to acidic solution in another vessel, agitate and then pull the solution out from under the solvent, then base and continue from there, is a workable way to remove all the oils. Otherwise it's just a mess in the end, the product is suitable for tanning saddles.
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Freeze precip with fairly white crystals and almost no goo. But when trying to refine the purity by using a small amount of warmed shellite, dissolving product into that then pouring off (leaving the minimal residual goo) then evaporating the poured off part... the end product isn't clean as in taste and effects. I'm suspecting the shellite is just shit and that's messing with the end result. I've used shit butane in another non-related process which had the same effect but then found a high quality one and used that which made all the difference. So I'm thinking this is along the same lines and getting the lab grade version should be the way to go
 
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I recommend not evaporating the solvent if your goal is to clean it up. Besides the oil that you decanted away from, whatever other impurities there may be would deposit right back on the crystals upon evaporation.

Heptane would be good since it has negligible water content and evaporates quickly. But still try to freeze precipitate as much as you can. I've been looking at crystals under the microscope lately and noticing that even freeze precipitated ultrapure crystals can have solvent residue or some kind of oil coating them. Probably both as the residue warms up and dissolves some of the crystal surface.

In the future I might try washing my crystals with freezing cold solvent, ideally something that can dissolve the solvent residue without dissolving the crystals. A vacuum desiccator could also make a difference.
 
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Icon said:
In the future I might try washing my crystals with freezing cold solvent, ideally something that can dissolve the solvent residue without dissolving the crystals. A vacuum desiccator could also make a difference.
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A few OCD rinses in isopentane should do the trick 😁

But, seriously, that's a good point - the outside of the crystal will begin to redissolve on warming.

I'll second not evaporating ones solvent as well.
 
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Transform said:
A few OCD rinses in isopentane should do the trick 😁
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Good thinking!

Transform said:
the outside of the crystal will begin to redissolve on warming.
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And even if the crystal was spared, there's still however many thousands of molecules in each drop of residue, that might not get a chance to integrate into the lattice before the solvent does evaporate. A film of oligomers might be inevitable? (if you don't wash the mother liquor off)
 
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Icon said:
I recommend not evaporating the solvent if your goal is to clean it up. Besides the oil that you decanted away from, whatever other impurities there may be would deposit right back on the crystals upon evaporation.

Heptane would be good since it has negligible water content and evaporates quickly. But still try to freeze precipitate as much as you can. I've been looking at crystals under the microscope lately and noticing that even freeze precipitated ultrapure crystals can have solvent residue or some kind of oil coating them. Probably both as the residue warms up and dissolves some of the crystal surface.

In the future I might try washing my crystals with freezing cold solvent, ideally something that can dissolve the solvent residue without dissolving the crystals. A vacuum desiccator could also make a difference.
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Yeah my bad, should have freeze precip first. But what if you want to form crystals, still have to evap. What's the best way to wash that to get rid of all residue?
 
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When it's sufficiently cleaned up it will form crystals from freeze precipitation, but you have to do it slowly. Like dissolving the DMT into a minimal amount of hot solvent, then finding a way to slowly cool that down to room temp without disturbing it. You don't have to use a freezer or even a fridge to "freeze" precipitate, it's just about reducing the solubility slowly. Evaporation is one way, temperature is another.

The powder is fine too, which is basically nano crystals. But it might be harder to wash the solvent residue away, as you've noticed. Isopentane washes could still apply. Maybe even a sodium carbonate wash, if you didn't already do that.

There's a lot more you could do depending how clean you want it. There's a lot of information archived in the forum.
 
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koota said:
So

So you wouldn't try and form cystals, just keep the washed and freezed precip?
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I'd adapt to any given situation. I've seen more than my fair share of crystals, perhaps, and my motivation has changed over the past decade and a half. Harmala crystals are a slightly different game ;) and yet, the principle of temperature/solubility gradients applies just as much to Manske-style precipitation.

Remember, too, that your extraction 'laboratory' - whatever form that should take - is also a psychospiritual microcosm. Need and frustration must be transformed into acceptance and gratitude. Only you can do that Great Work.
 
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Icon said:
When it's sufficiently cleaned up it will form crystals from freeze precipitation, but you have to do it slowly. Like dissolving the DMT into a minimal amount of hot solvent, then finding a way to slowly cool that down to room temp without disturbing it. You don't have to use a freezer or even a fridge to "freeze" precipitate, it's just about reducing the solubility slowly. Evaporation is one way, temperature is another.

The powder is fine too, which is basically nano crystals. But it might be harder to wash the solvent residue away, as you've noticed. Isopentane washes could still apply. Maybe even a sodium carbonate wash, if you didn't already do that.

There's a lot more you could do depending how clean you want it. There's a lot of information archived in the forum.
Click to expand...
Dissolved some freeze preciped powder crystals into a small amount of n-heptane, got rid of the crap then just left that sealed at room temp and it is actually forming decent crystals. Also had some shellite evap crystals which I wasn't too keen on but just washed those with the n-heptane which made all the difference. Definitely not using Shellite again, n-heptane is way superior. Cheers for the pointers
 
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Im unable to find Naphtha or any of the other solvents where I live. Can Benzine work? (Not BenzEne) I maybe able to get hold of lab grade petroleum ether but im afraid the boiling point is too low and may introduce significant hazard into the process
 
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