Hello everyone. My name is Nime. I have used this website a few times but never made my own thread. I will get straight to the point.

I have made numerous extractions before using straight to base (lye, naphtha, then freeze). SWIM has explained to me what is actually happening throughout the extraction, so i have somewhat of an idea what is going on during the extraction. Yes I do not understand it all 100%

So here is my problem. Because of some internal family issues, i was called back to my home land somewhere in the Eurasia, and i need to stay here for a few months. I wish to make extractions while i am here, but im having difficulty finding naphtha vm+p here. However i do have my supply of lye and my MH inner root bark

However i do have many other great resources out here, such as experienced university chemists who will help if i ask. Yet id like to gather enough/as much information before aproaching him. So this means i do have the resources to get materials from laboratories which generally are not reachable to the public.

So my question is, what common labrotory chemical solvent can i use instead of VM+P, or how would i describe this to the chemist at hand. In reality they are not going to know what im extracting, however it wont be a problem even if i tell them cause he (the chemist) is a close family friend.

If there is a common solvent i can use to do this which is commonly found in laboratories, that would be great. if not maybe we can approach it the way as follows. I can present the bark to him, then tell him i need to extract the .... (here is where i go blank, im pretty sure its the salts we are trying to extract correct?) How would i describe to him what i wont to do, cause if i do describe it to him in great detail, meaning if i understand it myself. I am sure he will figure out a way to make it happen. Please remember that these are very expereicned chemists and know what they are doing, however they do not understand english all too well, so i would have to translate everything, which is not a problem (but i need to understand the steps myself)

Or another method: If i do have access to common laboratory chemicals, what method would you suggest i use.

Thank you all for your time, please ask questions if i am unclear. The material i have is pulverized mimosa hostilis inner root bark.
Once again i will be presenting this to a chemist who does not know English all too well, so i would appreciate if we be as scientifically as possible, Latin even =P

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EDIT:
It just came to my knowlege if present the material (root bark) to a chemist and let them know we need to make an extraction of (..?..) using acid to base, he should know what to do, correct? so what will i fill in the (..?..) with?
I just thought of this cause i was looking at the wikipedia acid to base extraction explanation, i read that this is very common in the chemical world, especially after synthesis (not sure what im talking about)
I would however like to aproach the issue the way i explained above, going and getting the materiels from him myself and doing it myself.

You're extracting a freebase, not a salt, with a nonpolar solvent. The ideal solvent would:

1) Be an especially good solvent for the tryptamine freebase, but less of a good solvent for other things, like fats (good luck with that one )

2) Ideally, the solvent will work VERY WELL at warmed-up temperatures, and rather poorly at freezing temperatures--allowing for a freeze precip.

3) I wouldn't consider solvents that are considered highly dangerous for people (like benzene, for example). I'd only consider solvents that chemists generally consider "safe" to work around without special precautions.

I'm sure someone here could suggest a good solvent (hexane maybe??). But still, these things are ALWAYS determined experimentally. There's nothing to stop you from doing the experiment. Basify a fair amount of bark, strain out the basic solution, divide it into many small aliquots, and try different solvents on each small batch. Try a freeze-precip with each one. If a freeze-precip doesn't work, do an evap. At the end you'll know which solvent is best.

With the basic solution from, say, 100g of bark, you could probably easily test 5 or more likely solvents.

Thank you for your prompt reply,

That sounds very interesting; i think i will give it a try. One question though.
When i normally extract this is what i do. i basify the distilled water (add Na0H) then the root bark, shake it up... then add naphtha , roll it around (not shake, to prevent emulsions), then separate.

From what i understood, what you want me to do is after basifying and shaking with the root bark, i should strain the gunky stuff (the root bark) out and only use the liquid remaining? i just want to clarify this.

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"strain out the basic solution " it is that part of your post which is confusing me because i usually do not do that. did i understand correctly? So once it is all mixed up (lye, water, bark) i should run the solution through a filter, then work with the liquid that remains, correct?

For purposes of the experiment, I would be sure my basic solution was heavily basic--pH 12-13. I would let the bark sit overnight in the basic solution ALONE (or maybe just a couple of hours if the bark is powdered). Then, just for the purposes of the experiment, pour your basic solution that has worked for adequate time through some paper towels or cheesecloth or coffee filter--to separate the solution from the bark pulp. Then use that solution for your experiments (just makes it easier to handle than messy bark). Don't forget that there will STILL BE MORE DMT in the bark, which you can use to start all over again, using a refill of basic solution and your newly discovered solvent.

Probably the EASIEST THING TO DO is ask your chemistry-prof. friend for naphtha. All chem labs will have SOME version of naphtha--it might not be exactly the same as the American VM&P naphtha, but it will probably work essentially the same (and maybe better!).

I think naphtha is also used a "dry-cleaning" fluid. Any country that has a dry-cleaner PROBABLY has a solvent that would work...

One thing you'll want to check: if you allow the solvent to evaporate is there ANYTHING left? It's important to use a solvent that leaves NO RESIDUE--even a slippery or oily feeling.

Dry-cleaning fluid would be expected to not leave a residue (I don't think people would like it on their clothes!).

Petroleum ether.

If naptha is impure and leaves residue it can be easly and safley distilled if you can follow a procedure and have basic chemistry lab skills. If not dont try it you will burn your house down and maybe yourself. That is how I learned in the days before the internet.
freez percip is a new and excellent trick along with stb is really is a VERY simple proceedure not much different than making mack and chese from a box. It took me a lot longer to be a good cook than it did to pull spice.

S F maybe this will help you

http://www.erowid.org/ps...s/faq_otc_solvents.shtml
here is a link to the same solvent faq i used almost 20 years ago i must admit we need some solvent updates this is the best i have found and it as OLD like me if any one know a better doc please post

M.V.

Hexane would not be a good solvent to extract with as it is very hydrophobic and DMT is only slightly soluble in it... This is why it is a great recrystalization solvent. One would have to use a lot of hexane to get all of the alkaloids from the basic water.

The best solvents for alkaloid extractions are aromatic solvents like toluene or chlorinated ones like Ch2Cl2 or chloroform. These solvents are hydrophobic but somewhat "polar" ( Polar in a very loose sense as they have electro rich and electro-deficient regions) This will extract everything. Instead of freeze precip just evaporate it all down to a oily residue. Then recrystalizate the residue with hexanes, hexane, heptane, or pet ether.

I’m having some issues describing to my chemical guy what naphtha is, when i say naphtha he says methyl spirit (the one that you go blind by) I’m sure this isn’t what i need.

Does naphtha have a chemical formula i can present to my professor so he knows exactly what I need? I realize that there are different versions and forms of it, but i don’t think we understand one another.

So if there is a chemical formula like "Ch2Cl2" which i can present to him, it would be perfect.

I am able to get a hold of chloroform here. Can I substitute that instead of naphtha and use the same extraction procedure?

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EDIT

I just reread the post above, so after I use chloroform to extract then evaporate, i must get a hold of hexanes, hexane, heptane, or pet ether. If i am able to get a hold of this will the following steps i describe be correct?

Put the oily residue into warmed hexanes, hexane, heptane, or pet ether, make it disolve, then put it in the freezer, then wait. Then filter it out. is this correct? I’m kind of confused what I do after I evaporate the chloroform. I have a feeling it is not correct, what are your guys' thoughts on this.

I think it is safe to say i will be using chloroform because I am able to get a hold of it.

Naptha is pentanes and thus petroleum ether. CH5H12 but it is a mixture of isomers.

CH2Cl2, CHCl3 (Chloroform), toluene, can be substituted for naptha in alkaloid extractions and will be more effective.

More effective how? Will take up DMT more effectively or exclusively?

I like it that my question has escalated into something that others can make use of.

However I am going to make another thread which narrows down my question, because i now know which chemicals I am able to get hold of.

I will put the link to it here if you all are curious or wish to help

Chloroform and Hexane extraction thread and questions.