Greetings! As a long time fan of the nexus, I've been considering registering for years. However, with all the information as freely available as it is (thank you!) and precious little worth contributing, I put it off for quite a while. I recently remembered something that I wanted to share, though, and decided to go ahead and create a profile to do so... Hopefully this is a contribution, maybe it's just an interesting discussion, or maybe it's nothing at all. I guess we'll see.

So, what brought me to the nexus originally was research involving the extraction of a particular alkaloid from any of several varieties of cactus. I found a plethora of good information on acid/base extraction and learned enough of the general theory to develop a working knowledge of what happens and why. Being kind of a nerd, I spent some time working to see if I could come up with a novel procedure that might accomplish the same goal. Here's what I came up with... based on my very limited knowledge of pH and solubility with respect to the alkaloids in question, I think this will work. I haven't tried it though. I wonder if some of the more chemistry-inclined members might be willing to chime in with feedback.

So, here goes, an extraction hypothesis for your consideration...

Extraction of cactus alkaloids via isopropyl alcohol, calcium oxide, and pressurized carbon dioxide

Disclaimer: This is NOT a tested procedure. This has NOT been developed by someone who knows what they are doing. Please do not follow these directions expecting any result whatsoever. They are posted only as a hypothetical.

1) Combine alkaloid rich organic material and 91% isopropyl alcohol in a blender.

2) Add enough calcium oxide to
a) dry the alcohol CaO + H20 => Ca[OH]2 ...and
b) basify the mixture converting the alkaloids to freebase (which should be alcohol soluble)
... then blend again.

3) Filter and discard solids, retaining alcohol with dissolved freebase alkaloids.
4) Using any home drink-carbonation setup: combine alcohol mixture with gaseous CO2 under pressure.
5) Alkaloids should precipitate out in the form of a carbonate salt. Probably also some calcium carbonate?
6) Filter and retain solids, discard carbonated alcohol solution.
7) Any alcohol remaining in the filtered solids should evaporate quickly
... the (now dry) crystalline solids can then be used as desired.

Final Disclaimer: AGAIN, this is NOT a tested procedure. This has NOT been developed by someone who knows what they are doing. Please do not follow these directions expecting any result whatsoever. They are posted only as a hypothetical.

... so, to the people who know what they are doing... does this sound like it would work?

The necessary ingredients and equipment are very readily available and relatively harmless.
Any chance of byproducts I didn't point out or any other unexpected goings wrong? If not, it seems like a useful procedure to have out there in the wild. If so, I'd welcome the opportunity to learn more about the situation, why, and what could be done differently.

So, that's why I'm here (finally). Hopefully it's a contribution, maybe it's just a fool's attempt at chemistry. Either way, I'm glad I finally wrote it up and am happy to be here. Thank you in advance for any responses.