Hi all on DMT Nexus - great that this site exists. I've just signed up here but been reading posts on here for a few months now. I've also produced my own spice from MHRB and ACRB by both STB and A/B methods although my yields haven't been too great - definitely less that 0.3%. More questions on perfecting my techniques in a minute.

Just to say my interest in DMT has come from my own investigation of non-dualism (aka Advaita) and the loss of personal self. Happy to chat with anyone about that.

OK, back to production.
Q1: I find the pulling off of the spice using a NP solvent quick time consuming and tricky. I ladle as much of the solvent, plus inevitably a fair bit of the red alkaline liquid, into a tall container then use a pipette to collect all the solvent possible. But with the amounts of solvent to red liquid suggested in most teks I find I'm pulling off 4, 5, 6 or even 8 lots before no more spice is crystallised in the freezer. I have access to cheap heptane 95% (SBP5) and I've wondering whether it's not just easier to add a pretty huge amount of this, warm it up, roll it lots and then pull most of the spice in one go. Heptane evaporates nice and quick so just leaving it in a warm spot will get it down to 10% of the original amount quite quickly. You can then freeze crystalise the whole lot in one go. Anyone know any reason not to do it like this?

Q2: Using the A/B technique, you can end up with a pretty large amount of red juice and vinegar after boiling. Most teks tell you to evaporate this slowly, like in the oven at 70 degrees C, which takes all day. I was wondering whether you can simply boil the solution rapidly on a high flame or does someone know something about destroying the DMT-acetate with high heat? This is a salt of DMT so from a chemistry point of view the boiling point should be pretty high, much higher than water. I've no idea about its stability at high temperatures though - does anyone know if it breaks down at high temperatures?

Q3: Most teks suggest using acetic acid (vinegar) for the initial acid boiling. I'm wondering whether anyone has experience of using any other acid - citric, tartaric, maybe hydrochloric, suphuric, nitric - and again do these produce stable DMT salts when boiling to reduce the quantity?

Many thanks. Glad to write my first post here. Not sure how you view these welcome messages.

Simply read FAQ section .. The answer are there for the taking so just reach out and grab them

Here's my advise/thoughts on the matter:

Q1: Invest in a glass turkey baster or separator funnel. It will save you much frustration and time vs. using a ladle.

Adding more Heptane might help though if you think the problem is the DMT saturates the Heptane at a low concentration. See what the effect is of doubling the volume added before you try adding a "huge" amount. Make sure to gently roll/tilt the container back and forth for a few minutes to increase yield if you aren't already. I always use Naphtha and have never tried Heptane; I *think* I remember reading that Heptane is less efficient for extractions/pulls than Naphtha, but I could be wrong (you could do a quick search if you want more info on that).

Also if the pH of your aqueous layer isn't high enough it will also lower your yield per pull. I prefer a strong base like NaOH and push the pH up to 11 or 12. Some weak bases like Sodium Bicarb aren't strong enough to raise the pH enough. (Take proper precautions when using strong bases)

Q2/Q3: I use dilute HCl to acidify my RB solution (Any acid that forms a water soluble salt of DMT would probably work, do a quick search to see what other acids people use).

I know from experience that DMT-HCl salt is stable at boiling temperatures, and I reduce by lightly boiling/simmering the solution down to roughly 2 to 3 L/kg of RB. If I start to see a film forming on the surface or precipitates forming I know I've reduced too much, and add a little bit of water. (Take proper precautions if using HCl or other concentrated strong acids). I know nothing about the stability of DMT acetate or other salts at high temperature, but I would imagine it would also be stable at boiling temperatures? (best to do a quick search to be sure, I'm sure the answer is out there)

Welcome to the Nexus BTW

Great advice. Thanks LB

Nitric acid? Are you trying to kill yourself? Because that's how you kill yourself.

Most people use pretty crappy solvents (naptha). Which take exactly 2 ice ages to evaporate. You *could* gwt all the DMT out in 1-2 pulls, but due to people using what's available for them, there tends to be alot of DMT still in the bark/acid.

I use citric acid, and I've got great success using it. Vinegar is easy to find, cheap, and does the job.

And yes, you may absolutely boil off the excess water. You will want to simmer it though, so you don't burn organic material to the 'being flame heated' sides of the kettle/

One of my reasons for not wanting to use vinegar is that if you're doing a big batch and need to boil off a few liters of water then you have the smell of boiling vinegar as it evaporates for a few hours.

Citric acid won't smell if boiled in solution.

Easy to find in brew shops, and as washing machine ( - 1ce ) descaler or similar as well.

There's even a popular brand of descaler that's anhydrous citric acid but don't waste that on water boils...