SWIM majored in chemistry so extracting an alkaloid from a local grass seemed like it would be a fun experiment and proved to be.
After a bountiful harvest of phalaris arundinacea SWIM went through the tedious process of isolating and separating one alkaloid among so many similar others.

SWIM now is sitting on a large pile of fine white powder and has taken upon himself the goal to recrystallize it all for aesthetic purposes. Though SWIM have a bit of luck with freeze precipitation in naptha though SWIM had no such luck with heptane. In fact the best looking products (see pictures) were made via slow evaporation of a saturated naptha solution.

Is there any tips out there about what SWIM could be doing wrong? whenever SWIM freezes his heptane SWIM ends up with a thin layer of white powder in the bottom of a jar of heptane, not exactly the point of the experiment.





Anyway, I would love the ability to discuss some science further within the forum. Being a longtime reader of the forum I feel with access to some of the science forums that I could put my science knowledge to use.

I hope with this testament to my dedication I might be able to move elsewhere in the forum for help, or perhaps drag attention for help on my crystallization.