SWIM has been avoiding using methanol for a long time. He’s read how dangerous it is and that it can cause blindness, etc. SWIM also heard from many other SWIMs that the dangers are highly exaggerated.

Methanol is used in a lot of professional extraction techs. Methanol has a very low boiling point (64.7°C) and evaporates pretty fast, faster than IPA or ethanol, and nearly as fast as acetone. One of the unique properties of methanol is that it’s insoluble in heptane, while ethanol and IPA are soluble in everything. Those are all very good qualities in a solvent.

So, SWIM decided to get some methanol (pure ACS grade) to play around with.

The fumes are very pleasant. It smells sweet. SWIM has used it quite a bit and has not been bothered at all by any of the fumes. So, it seems like the dangers are definitely way over exaggerated.

One thing he’s noticed is that everything seems to be extremely soluble in it. Even things that are insoluble in 99% IPA are soluble in methanol. Everything he’s tested is more soluble in methanol than all the other solvents he’s compared it with: IPA, ethanol, heptane, DCM, acetone, MEK, ethyl acetate, and xylene.

He’s excited to try using methanol in a Soxhlet. It’s very low boiling point combined with its fast evaporation rate means it should siphon much faster. That combined with it’s superior solvency means it should extract much faster than most other solvents. Plus it’s low boiling point is less likely to cause heat damage to the alkaloids.

What alkaloids are best extracted with methanol and which ones are poorly extracted with it?

I cannot comment on planet extractions with MeOH but I would say that is used all the time in most science labs and not considered so toxic unless you drink it. So if your generally careful with it I don't see it as dangerous at all.

methanol is a great extraction solvent. it's excellent at extracting pretty much all alkaloids, but it also extracts plant sugars and chlorophyll, so a clean up procedure is a good idea

as reborn stated, it's only toxic if swallowed (as alcohol dehydrogenase in the liver converts it to formaldehyde). the antidote is immediately drinking ethanol.

So nice to see someone admitting that. SWIM's FOAF also believes the same. Every time he has to work with methanol in his lab he cannot resist sniffing some just because of this specific sweet smell. Same goes for butanol.