To freebase 50% of all the DMT present in a plant you need only a pH of 8.68. pH 10 can freebase over 90% of all the DMT. This is a based on DMT’s pKa. Sodium carbonate can bring a solution to 11.4. At pH 11.4 more than 99% of all the DMT is freebased. When using an A/B extraction you only need 50% freebased for good results. For an STB you need 99% for good results.
SWIM only uses sodium carbonate for DMT extractions when doing an A/B. Also he uses calcium hydroxide for STB techs, but only ones designed for calcium hydroxide. SWIM never uses sodium hydroxide for anything.
And YES, SWIM gets great yields. It all depends on the tech used. If you use a tech that NEEDS sodium hydroxide, then you need to use sodium hydroxide. But this idea that sodium carbonate is not a strong enough base to freebase DMT is absolutely not correct. It’s an internet rumor some idiot started many years ago who knows nothing about chemistry. Because of the low pKa of DMT, it can be freebased with ammonia, sodium carbonate, calcium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, and quite a few other bases. Sodium Bicarbonate is not good to use though because it can only freebase about 20% of the DMT at once. But it can be made to work in an A/B, but will be very inefficient requiring a lot of pulls.
You may remember me as 69Ron. I was suspended years ago for selling bunk products under false pretenses. I try to sneak back from time to time under different names, but unfortunately, the moderators of the DMT-Nexus are infinitely smarter than I am.
If you see me at the waterpark, please say hello. I'll be the delusional 50 something in the American flag Speedo, oiling up his monster guns while responding to imaginary requests for selfies from invisible teenage girls.