welp, I don't know if I need to bother discussing exactly what botanical specimen we're attempting to extract today. Technically, after checking with several sources I'm apparently using the wrong solvent but with that being said I have a certain super simple and basic question concerning extraction that has always been nagging me. let's talk about what has been done:
100 grams of the botanical source has been blended and soaked in a citric acid solution of 30 grams citric acid and I think 600-800ml water for like, 20 minutes. it was shaken and reshaken during this time. A little hard-ass vinegar (approximately 60 ml 30%) was added too.
some naphtha was used for a defat and the entire, uh, like, emulsive-ish sort of layer was removed with both the organic layer and the aqueous below it. that concept right here is what this post is about. it's about that interface between the aqueous and organic phases. I can never understand it. there's just so much going on in there. with enough nps you get a clear portion, usually some buttery stuff, maybe some foam and then below that you see your water and I'm never sure exactly which layers to keep and which to discard. I should probably leave this question alone for a moment before returning to it since we're talking about an extract and we're only on the defat stage, so I guess we'll get back to the process performed and then come back to discuss appropriate procedure.
The solution was basified with 200 ml of 10% ammonia and about 65 g of baking soda. It was extracted multiple times. Now we're back to talking about the procedure again. I figure only that portion of the organic layer that was clear was kept. Foam, oils, fats---whatever comprises an opaque layer between the aqueous and organic layer---I figure must be junk, but nonetheless I can't help but imagine that that layer is where the good stuff is hiding, especially after checking my notes and noting that naphtha is not the preferred solvent for procedures like this.
the extraction continued sort of like follows: after mixing several times the clear layer was sucked up into a jar and then passed through a coffee filter. some of this gunk would get in and clog the filter, at which point it would be dumped back into the jar and re-extracted, probably with more naphtha.
Eventually, 30 grams of lye was added and an extraction with warm naptha was performed, at which point the emulsive foamy layer was sucked up too and extracted. Now everything is sort of considered wastewater. Look at the condition of the wastewater. there's sort of a yellow foamy layer on top.
lol tldr is this yellow layer just fats or does it have the good stuff in it?
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