Is there any reason why I couldn't take my Butane Hash Oil Rig and use it to extract spice from basified MHRB?

Interesting topic. Unfortunatly, i don't have the anwser.

My guess would be : isn't the low temperature a problem ? i suppose butane reacts like heptane/hexane and when it's cold magic is not very soluble in it.



[̲̅ə̲̅٨̲̅٥̲̅٦̲̅]

It extracts monoterpenes just fine, even at deep sub-zero temperatures so long as you freebase all the MHRB I'm thinking it should work. Mabey to get around temperature problems I could run the column at high pressure or keep the butane in the column until the temperature warms up to room temperature.

any reason why you couldn't? no.
any reason why you shouldn't? yes (very high vapor pressure, extremely flammable/combustible).


in the scientific world of methods and techniques, it all comes down to advantages and disadvantages. there is no significant advantage to the method you're considering.
it would make more sense to use butane for recrystallization, but slightly longer-chained aliphatics like hexane and heptane would likely be just as effective.

What about extraction speed?

butane extraction is not the same as a supercritical fluid extraction, which would actually be fairly rapid. the pressure isn't high enough in a simple butane extraction.
if one were to employ an SFE device, then yes.. and basifying wouldn't be needed. A typical SFE process uses CO2, or a CO2/hexane mixture.

unless you're talking about a cleanup of a crude extraction residue, then this could be used as a re-x step, although DMT isn't very soluble in cold aliphatic solvents. this is why people warm hexane or heptane, prior to dissolving and evaporating.

if you can recover the product, then (safely) try it out.

Thanks for the wisdom benzyme. I'm just looking at every possible extraction route. Just curious i guess. Hopefully that curiosity doesn't get me blown up or burned.

exactly why I discouraged it.


if it's speed of extraction you're after, consider getting a stainless-steel pressure cooker for your acidification step, if doing A/B, or a dedicated microwave for extractions. Microwave-assisted extraction is a technique employed for rapid process, as is another useful one, Ultrasound-assisted extraction (sonication), albeit sonicators can be expensive.

Microwave-assisted extractions? Interesting...

I've done all my acid cooks in a microwave for some time now.

I don't have any special apparatus like a Clevenger or a recirculating system but it seems to liberate more magic (and less oils) than a standard cook on the stovetop.

My microwave is an inverter model so I can scale the power input to get it to a light boil without overboiling very easily. It's a bit hit and miss compared to a software controlled microwave that regulates the temp but with a bit of experimentation it's quite easy to find the sweet spot.

I alternate between freeze/lysing and microwave defrosting with a 3 minute cook after it's thawed each time for 4 cycles with a 5 minute cook at the end. Then I wrap the vessel in alternating layers of foil and paper (which I do very quickly after the last boil) to keep it hot for about another hour.

It's been a real boon for me, I can freeze & do my cooks in around the same time it takes to freeze and thaw 4 times. Plus it doesn't stink up the house anywhere near as much as a cook on the stove.

Sorry to hijack your thread Chiggels.

I can hardly see butane being used efficiently for an mhrb extraction...

First off, you will have to have an aqueous basic mhrb soup which you will need to mix with butane well and then separate, and at the same time keep butane from evaporating off..

But you may have conceived an ingenious way to go around such problems, if so, please illuminate us!

Not at all Hieronymous; thanks for sharing. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't need to put the mhrb into an aqueous phase. Adding water would probably decrease the efficiency of the extration. As long as the DMT is in freebase form, it should be extractable.

But dmt in mhrb (or any other plant/animal source) is in salt form, i.e. not extractable with butane. And ph and salt<->freebase conversions not only require water but are also meaningless in the absence of water.

All you would have to do to make it extractable is mix the MHRB powder with NaOH and water. This would freebase the DMT. But after it is freebased you could filter out the based MHRB and wash it with water. Then just dry it out and you would be good to go...in theory anyways.