So starting with freebase in naptha, the freebase-saturated naptha was then re-acidified by combining with 5% acetic acid vinegar in the sep funnel, and salting out the active ingredient; then enough lye was added to the active aqueous solution to crash out the freebase once again. It was at this time that a yellow powdery looking substance appeared.

It looked very much like pollen, and whatever it was it was obviously soluble in acidic aqueous solution but not so in basic.

Furthermore, when the now milky basic aqueous was extracted with new clean naptha, the yellow powdery stuff disappeared (obv back into the naptha) and the naptha re-gained its previous yellow color.

I thought the whole point of a mini A/B was to leave the plant oils in the original naptha; but now I am reading other threads where people recommend washing dirty yellow naptha with vinegar to clean it of its yellow lol

It is awaiting freeze precip to see how well the mini A/B worked.

So my questions are:

1) Any ideas what the yellow substance was and why it showed up when it did?

2) Are the plant oils supposed to stay in the original naptha or do they come across into the acidic aqueous when salting out the actives?

Thanks!