Hey Nexians,

Completing a first Extr. soon and have been trying to source the perfect solvent in the UK, there is no clear choice on the forums, and I'd like a readily available hosuehold product if possible.

Artists White
Found this, heard it recommended before, looks pretty good and should evaporate.

Also found this, by the same company, yet its 3x the price, I was thinking maybe it is just a really clean distilled version
Distilled Spirit

Have a look at these, they look alot better than say Asda or B&Q spirits, really intrigued by the distilled one, it could be a really clean well evaporating solvent that we in the UK need so much...

If you have used any of these please let me know how you got on !

Many Thanks

JustCurious.

Been told this could also be good Behlens Naptha
Behlens Naptha
I'm leaning towards this at the moment...

I never tried those products, but Im quite confident that, once evaporated, they'll leave an oily residue behind. Many UK products have been tried and the only one which seem to give good result is Ronsonol lighter fluid. I suggest you to switch to a more ecological kind of extraction by using D-Limonene as your solvent.

Ronosol is possibly the least clean of all the lighter fluids, thats why it's so cheap, Newport supposedly gives good results, what do you think on the Behlens naptha I just posted ?

I tested Ronsonol myself and it didn't leave any residue or whatsoever.

About Behlens, I remember it being suggested more than once. I guess, you should go for it and report back.

Behlens have no stock untill June

Any reason why you think the artists fluid will be impure ?
I've heard its okay on the forums, but everything I find seems to have one or two people raving about it, and then a few sceptics...

I'm sorry to hear that.

It's not about pureness, it's about using the right chem. I used turpentine for other purposes before and, due to its oiliness, it doesn't seem safe. Anyway, you can check it yourself by evaporating a little bit in a clean glass.

FAQ may be of help:

https://wiki.dmt-nexus.m....2Fchemical_OK_to_use.3F

IME artists spirits you get off the high street are far too heavy.

They pull ok and you can freeze precipitate out of them, but after getting the crystals out they never seem to dry.

I left a glass of it sat out for 6 months uncovered and it didn't evaporate.

Ronosol it is then

The Windsor & Newton artists white spirit is naphta, that's what it says on the bottle. I've used it & as others have said its ok for freeze precip but not for evaporation. I've not noticed any residue on freeze precip'd spice using this solvent though.

Another alternative is bartoline white spirit from homebase, its naphta too, though it always seems to me to leave some slight residue on freeze precip'd crystals. Best bet using this is to recrystalise using heptane, though its quite pricey.

the behlen brand is excellent very clean drys incredibly quickly.. its just been out of stock for the last year i think.. well atleast whenever ive checked anyway..

I'll have to disagree on the quickness of evaporation. I have tried both Behlen naphtha and Ronsonol lighter fluid and they are suitable for extractions (they leave no residue whatsoever) however the former is a bitch to evap. It evaps faster than xylene/toluene but still way too slowly for my tastes. The only positive thing about Behlen naphtha is that it gives slightly better yields than Ronsonol, which I suspect is at least partly due to the presence of aromatics (xylene) in it (which may also partly explain the slower evap).

Hi there,

I use to use Behlen and was very happy with it but was a nightmare to order. Always out of stock (ponders)... Anyway, I now use Coleman Fuel, found very conviently at most camping shops for about 7 quid a litre. I get the transparent plastic bottle one, but have also seen it in a can on occasion and pressume it is exactly the same stuff inside.

Says Napatha on it with a CAS number and I found it a recommended brand from our american friends, but have never teseted it for residue.

Anyone else use this? I do get lovely white crystals evertime :o)

Bumping this thread as i'd like to get extracting again and wondeirng if there are any solvents in the UK i should be purchasing for best quality?

I used to use behlen but doesn't look like they have it anymore unless it's this?

I hear the Coleman stuff can really leave a nasty smell, i could always just get the usual yellow lighter fluid which seemed to work just fine

Thanks for any updates

Ronosol or swan lighter fluid is good

Panel wipe (Churchill or U Pol) or heptane on the fleabay.

Most lighter fuel is good and easiest to find, only issue with it really is that it comes in small tins. If you want larger amounts you could try panel wipe as cyb mentions, Primus Powerfuel (~£8/L if I remember right) was good when I used it a few years back, worth checking MSDS to see if it still is though.

Hexane off eBay is worth a look, interchangeable with heptane as used in some teks. Very clean, low odor, and evaps around 68C.