Hi,

I tried to do an extract of caapi alkaloids. 65grams caapi in 500ml water and 1 gram of citric acid. Boil 1/2 hour, pour, another 500ml water and 1 gram acid, boil 1/2 hr etc for a total of 4 extrations. Result was filtered and then reduced to about 400 ml. Cooled to room temp then Basified with 50 ml water and 20 grams of NaOH to a pH of >12.

And...nothing. No precipitate. Nyet. Nada.

Any suggestions?

Hi,

I've done so many of these extractions Caapi NaOH, but still not sure what is going on when it goes wrong, but this will be my take:

1. you MUST squeeze all liquid when filtering Caapi, especially if powdered.
2. must use strong acid, 5% vinegar, I put a lots of it.
3. 50ml x 20g NaOH, this kind of makes no sense, I think you did something wrong here. I don't have ph meter, so I eye ball it: make 50ml x 5g NaOH ( as per all teks here on wiki), and make at least 150ml. When pouring it in the caapi brew the solution will turn black, then coffee w/milk, add some more and stop. Put it in the fridge, and in 1 hour you should have whitish sediment. If it doesn't sediment white, but reddish, and white stuff is floating all over, the you are f****d, this is noting.

I have all the pics of extractions went wrong, but don't know if it makes sense posting them...lol... who wants to see failures.

good luck
Jox

Thanks that's helpful.
If I get what you're saying, you do the same procedure each time but get different results: sometimes good product, sometimes not so much. OK I feel better, will adjust my technique according to your tips and try again.

ps.

don't trash the wood, do it again, with a lots of vinegar ect... read the teks on wiki.

it will work out

Jox

was it "black" caapi?
you might have gotten alicia anisopetala. check out some of the threads on that, because extracts of that give almost nothing