Hello,

I am trying to get as good an understanding of all processes involved before attempting my first extraction.

Hence the following question: is there a minimum amount of time one should allow for the basic stage of an extraction?

AFAIK this stage has two goals: converting the salts into freebase molecules and continuation of the lysis of the cells.

Would it be possible to achieve complete lysis of the cells before the basic stage and if so, how long does it take for the molecule conversion into freebase?
What, if any, factors contribute to the speed of this conversion? (heat, agitation, catalysts?)

I would like to minimize the time spent on the basic stage - I feel more comfortable trying to lyse the cells with repeated freeze/thaw etc.

Regarding freeze/thaw: I understand this is to be done with the plant material in an aqueous solution... May this be an acidic solution?
Would there be any result from freezing "dry" plant material (perhaps with a desiccant in the vessel in which the material is frozen)?

Can one "overdo" freeze/thawing? Can the duration of the acidic stage be overdone?

I might be inclined to make some minor alterations to whatever tek I decide to follow, and it would be nice to know how much leeway I would have... (I'd change it for convience, not out of hybris)

Thank you

PLUR

Nope. Once you base it to the proper pH you can pull from it immediately.



You can do it dry, in water, or in an acidic solution. I personally just use h20 and add my acid when I start doing the boils. I have done it with dry material as well but it seems to break it down more if it is in solution.



Can't really overdo it. I do 3 freeze/thaws myself but that is just me and may be on the verge of overkill. DMT is stable in it's acetate form so if you are using vinegar as your acid it can't really be overdone.

Thank you for the swift response...

However, if the third freeze/thaw is on the verge of overkill, why the boils?

I was under the impression that too much heat (>60° C) would draw more plant oils and fats into the mix but I could be mistaken due to information overkill. (newly acquired knowledge has yet to "settle" )

I would like to do a cold tek without compromising my final yield - is this possible using extensive freeze/thaw in acidic solution (pH 3) and long duration of acidic stage?
What would be the difference, if any, between freezing at -4° C or -24° C?

What does the heat actually do? (facilitate reaction, cell lysis, faster separation of solvent...?)

Actually, I do plan on using a warm solvent, but that's about it as far as heat is concerned (apart from the exothermic reaction when adding NaOH to cold demi H2O)

Thanks again

PLUR