Hi all, I would like to share my extraction experiences. I have just finished a fairly large extraction with only a fairly small yield. But this is Acacia Podalyriifolia, not known for its high yield, but is mentioned in Trouts notes to be of interest. As I have a huge specimen here in my back yard I have done some tests on it. I did 5 test extractions of 60 gms of Lazymans STB Tek. , Bark (2 tests) leaves (2) Pods (1 test ) and 2 tests of A/B Lextek (vinegar cook) with bark.
With the above tests I had zero results except for the 60 gm of leaves (STB) where I obtained a very small amount of yellow goo that dried powdery (not enough to do anything with)..
After speaking with a few people on the chat and putting the results on file with Nexus I decided to give it one more test. This time I used 600gms of leaf and twigs. Full procedure as follows.
I placed 600gms of dried leaf and twigs (crushed up to .1 to 2/3 millimetres size particles) in a large enamel cooking pot. It was about the size of ½ a plastic shopping bag (lots).
Lextek A/B Tek.
I poured in 3 ltrs of 50/50 white vinegar and water to just cover the material and warmed till simmer and left covered for 1 hour, decanted and filtered through a cotton pillow case. This I did 3 times with more vinegar solution, and was left with 6/7 ltrs of light brown cloudy fluid in a glass container.
While this fluid was still warm to the touch I separated it into 3 lots for easier handling, HDPE plastic jugs, the same ones the Vinegar came in.
I placed 200 gms of 98% pure NaOH dissolved into 100 mls water into the vinegar solution slowly and stirred. It turned blackish and I then left to stand while I proceeded with the other 2 lots.
After I had prepared the lots (3), I cleaned my work area and left them to sit for 3 hours, gently agitating every 10 mins or so.
I then added (poured) 100/150 mls Shellite into each jug, then shook slightly more than agitated/less than violently every 10 mins for 30 mins. I was buzzing and ‘in the flow’ being very careful with regard to flame and spillage and eye contact etc. No-one was witness to any of this, and I was 100 % attentive (this is not a very scientific description but I wish to convey that I was not ‘sloppy’ in my methods or in any way disrespectful of the advice I have Used). My intention is to refine anything I find into Pure DMT Crystals.
At this point I would like to say, I have no intention of doing anything contrary to the ethic of the Nexus and the idea of making ones own product is my only option. Not only do I understand this ethic as I have been living it, to a certain degree, with regards to another popular yet illegal substance, but I fully endorse it. I am 52 years old and live Australia, where the laws are relaxed to an extent in some states with regards to self producing small quantities of this substance, Hydro weed, THC.
I am a veteran of the old Stonehenge hippi era but now live a stress free (ish) life, squeaky clean, by humanistic morals.
I feel absolutely drawn to DMT and I don’t know why. I have slightly touched something 25 years ago with lots of meditational Acid and Mushy trips and found a mental pathway I was comfortable with. I wish to revisit. I have even had dreams where I am using DMT and am welcomed by a gate keeper who says to me “ Ahhh you made it” “you are here at last, hahaha about time too hahah”. Sounds odd when I read this back. But for some reason I feel I have a lot to offer it (DMT)
Recently, I have dreampt I drank some sparkling crystal liquid from a huge rotating crystal ball, this drink tingled my throat as it went down and filled my being with energy and light overwhelmed me. To me it’s telling me to get my skates on as I am getting passed my prime.
One year, 10 or so years ago, my wife came home with Wally, a small acacia from a shop here called Bunnings (huge garden/home-wares store). I took less than no notice then, yet remember it well now. It is now 30ft+ high and 20ft wide.
Only about 6 months ago I discovered Mckenna etc and hence read about DMT, I wanted it there and then. I had always been aware of Tim Leary and crew and only really knew about acid (LSD). Ten years ago I tried MDMA, but I’m sorry to say its wasted on me, it felt so ‘fake’, happy and smily and all that. I then discovered Nexus by chance and here I am, with this huge Acacia calling to me every day . After reading Trout’s and other reports I felt this was meant to be and that DMT is in there somewhere.
Back to the extraction
I ‘pulled’ the Shellite and added more (same amount with agitation for same times). With 4 pulls each I have about 1.7 ltrs of clear/slightly yellow shellite. I did a small (60mls/2oz) freeze precip test in a 8x8inc New pyrex baking dish and left it over night. In the morning there were some precipitant which I collected by pouring off the now cloudy shellite and evap then scraping with razor blade.
I have continued to do this and have collected about ½ gram of whitish/yellowish crystal/powder.
I am not game enough to smoke it as my intuition tells me it needs to be tested first. Could it be something else ? and maybe harmful. Did I pick anything up from the plastic HDPE jugs ? Im thinking its plastic contaminant, is there a test for plastic ? Clear shellite to cloudy in the freezer good sign ? Precipitation in freezer, good sign ? I have no UV lamp, should I get one.
Oh do I need some testing.
I am not a chemist and need Help please.

Next time I would reduce those 6l acidic tea to, say 2l, and then do the base and extraction (less volume to deal with, more concentrated so possibly alkaloids move easier to solvent once its basic, etc).

Also, with that huge amount of solvent you had, I would evaporate that till its only a quarter of total amount left and freeze it, this way when you freeze you will get a higher yield.

As for plastic.. If you feel it might be plastic from hdpe jugs, then next time use glass instead.. HDPE should in theory not dissolve in naphtha/shellite, but then again there is the potential phthalates that can coat different plastics.. To really make sure you dont have any, the ideal would be to turn your supposed dmt to fumarate, with FASA method (Dissolve in acetone and add FASA, let precipitate, filter..), and the plastic should stay behind in the acetone. In any case I think the plastic would stay behind in the solvent when freeze precipitatng, but impossibl to say for sure unless we do some real tests on this. A simple recrystallization would also help cleaning it up.... recrystallization instructions are in the FAQ.

Lastly, as for what it is, hard to say.. What does it smell of? Could you potentially acquire some reagent like ehrlich / pdmab / pdmab-ts / xanthydrol ?

If you do bioassay at some point, please start with very small doses.. Nen was saying how there are very few acacias, if any, that have shown to have very toxic alkaloids, but anyways better be prudent before we know.

thanks for the reply Endlessness, It smells of nothing at all ! No probably to the reagents, I wouldn't know where to start to look,

I could try and heat some and see what happens ? smell the air after ?
As it is Acacia I thought It might be interesting to get a proper test done. As, if there is anything interesting The trees grow quickly and are huge. I think they are native to queesland but obviously do very well here in WA. I could re-x a small measured amount but I have only about 1/2gm.
I notice the shellite jar now has a small layer of precipitation... ummmm good try though I hear you say.. :-)

Yeah you could try to heat some and smell the air, though many tryptamines/indole-based substances will have a plasticky-flowery smell..

As for reagents, Im not sure in your corner of the world, nen888 would be the person to ask I guess...

You say you ahve only 1/5g, but you still have your shelite after freeze precipitating, no? So evaporate that further down to small amount and freeze again, you might get more crystals.

I am up to 1gm now. I will evap the solvent and freeze precip. I was thinking to do a re-x on say 1/2 g. I think it might get to 1 1/2 gms overall.. I do have testable amounts now. I am just happy to have gotten this far, its just a plant extract to me at the moment. Is there anywhere I could send it to be tested ? I have lots more leaves.......
I will do an extraction on more leaves in just glass to see if I get the same result. I'm in no hurry as long as I get there before I die.

..i have never come across plastic/solvent reaction products..napatha and dcm have been stored in PET 2 and 3 plastic for long periods without causing byproducts..

..as far as safety, i can only reiterate what i said in the acacia thread p.13 #247 & 248..i cannot actually think of anything that has been found in any acacia which could cause serious harm when vaporized at 20-30mg..the only toxic reactions to vaporized acacia extracts i am aware of are when there were MAOIs present and dietary interaction..this is not to say some heavy toxin will not turn up in an acacia..the heaviest (nicotine & fluroacetic acid in 1 sp. ) are covered in previous link, but again smoking small amounts (as opposed to oral ingestion) would be perhaps nauseating/sickening, but unlikely to seriously harm due to the pyrolysis..
as endlessness says, "what does it smell like..?" (are you familiar with tryptamine type aromas?) ..carefully inhaling say 10mg of smoke would give you a quick idea, and probably not be harmful..

..common reagents, as mentioned, are as available in australia through chemical/lab suppliers as much as most anywhere else in the world..
the best for tryptamines are probably erhlich's or silico-tungustic acid..

I vaped a small amount on some foil and it melted and then vaped as hoped. It smelled very slightly metalic. No Im not familiar with tryptamine smells. I then took a short nasal intake of the smoke. No effect or irritation. Im keen to do a 10mg hit ?

Could be just simple tryptamine, or phenethylamine, which are all that has been reported from this species so far.

I think/know your right wira,
Just a few added obsevations, when I freese the Naptha it goes cloudy, when I take it out and it warms to room temp it stays cloudy and precipitates goo then the naptha stays clear. So... I think this extraction is not DMT or Trytamines, it is plant gunk-- perhaps because I didnt reduce the base before I pulled...I am in two minds whether to dump it and just keep trying other Acacias.....
Many thanks for all the input.
The Hungry Hunter keeps hunting....

..some ethanol/methylated spirits will pull more out of the plant material..soak overnight with vinegar..
pH 10-11 is not that far past when a solution becomes cloudy if one gradually adds NaOH..pH strips are available gardening or pool shops..not super fine accurate but give an idea..try lighter fluid instead of sheltie.
and some A. Acuminata would be a good reference for both your technique and high yields of tryptamines..

I will start looking...there was a report of DMT in podalyriifolia.. (0.5% to 2% DMT in fresh bark, phenethylamine trace amounts (Hegnauer 1994)
I tried a search on Nexus for metho but no returns....... Methalated spirt as a solvent to pull DMT ? Research tells me that the narrow phylode variety ??
..Acacia acuminata (typical variant).....................................................................
Acacia acuminata (narrow phyllode variant
Acacia acuminata (small seed variant
Acacia acuminata/burkittii complex
A. acuminata/burkittii (Variant 1
A. acuminata/burkittii (Variant 2)................................................................................................
many thanks

Extraction Update. I have since evaped the Shellite to 250mls. A thick layer of light brown liquid began to precipitate as I evaped. I sepatated the 2 and freeze preciped the now clear (3hours to settle) Shellite.

I quickly poured off the shellite after 24 hours. The cold shellite was very cloudy and has now separated into 2 layers ?? WTF

I now smell a strong Pharmaceutical in the glass dish I used after 1 hour (not shellite smell).... It smells like what cocaine tastes like when it is nasally ingested (25 years ago for me but I instantly associated this smell with that one), perhaps this smell is very very slightly sweeter. Its one houre since freezer and it scrapes like wax with a razor blade...

Could this be the smell I am to expect ?

I was under the impression DMT has no smell ? I will ask in the chat room.... Mothballs

I will update further.
Regards

..sorry for delay Iain1,
regarding methylated spirits/ethanol, i meant as a solvent to first extract from the plant material (along with vinegar)
..you will still need to basify and extract with non-polar solvent..see Trying to improve Acacia info p9#173 for brief extraction description..

as for the smell of dmt/nmt/tryptamines..it is hard to describe, but is distinct to most..there is no agreement on the origin of the smell, but it doesn't seem to be skatole..i believe pure dmt still has a smell..McKenna used to say slightly sweet and smelling of camphor (i.e mothballs)

for a description of the bioassaying of completely unknown acacia extracts see acacia thread p.4 #71 (A. cyclops) and p.6 #115 (A. falcata which may not be tryptamines)

..as for strains of A. acuminata, they all seem to have good amounts of dmt in the branch/stem bark, it's the leaves which sometimes have a lot of ß-carbolines (from our knowledge so far)
.

Mothballs, yes that springs to mind when smelling it... you might be onto something iain1, fingers crossed.

Nice background story!

..well, it does seem like there's something in A. podalyriifolia..look forward to updates..

a short update from me is that the yellow wax/oil I obtained from the podalyriifolia dissolved in and out of the shellite when frozen. (this fluid/solvent may of course be a factor but low probability.) the 5 -10-10 20 bioassay spread over 2 hours had nothing but a calming effect, however,I have associated this with sitting eyes closed for a few mins hoping the DMT was there......It was not

Not to be betten...... I did a quick extraction of 50gms bark with an A/B using the vinegar as before, with a dash of methelated spirits. then reduced the liquid added base (perhaps a bit more (100gms to pint )) I let cool to room temp this time, added 100ml shelite x 3 (on the last one I added 20ml of base solution ) ... NO DMT or yellow gunk as was in the leaves.... nice clear solvent

A test might confirm the extraction from the leaves is perhaps trytamines, but non-psychoactive ones, or just oil...... Phew I'm free from

A. podalyriifolia