Well I don't have the tricks, the tricks on you-- just kidding...

These darn freebase harmala precipitates,
seems some of them went right through my buchner with double brown homemade coffee filter disks (ran out of the 101).

IT works but one can't help think there has to be a better way...
Freebase Caapi harmalas seem a bit smaller in size than Manske Rue salt harmalas!

Any ideas...
Thusfar I'm thinking:

1. Don't reduce too much because the dark goo gains strength.
2. Maybe try fining the caapi solution once or twice before going for the catch.
3. Maybe filter through filter paper before basify-ing.
4. Would adding the Sodium Carbonate solution very slowly possibly build larger crystal formations, thereby rendering an easier precipitate harvest?

I can see why some just opt to buy the tinctures-- those looking for harmala alkaloids.

Challenging project it seems, even with some of the right equipment...

Thanks for any idea anyone out there...

My friend is having the exact same issue with his harmals from his rue....going right through his filter. He's gonna decant and remove as mouch liquid as he can with a turkey baster then eye dropper then dry what's left.

If you have a Buchner, why don't you order Qualitative filter papers?

SWIM is waiting for a PH meter in the mail, seems that if Phlux's Telepathine tek is used you get large crystals that don't even need to be filtered.

SWIM was thinking of maybe doing a tek with no acid (he's done them many times before with great success) and then giving an approximate amount of sodium carbonate for reaching the desired PH.

Well I did order some more, and it will at least answer one of my hundreds of questions which is:
what is the difference pourous-wise between coffee filters and 101 qualitative?



Actually it seems that the final harmaline does get filtered in that tech, albeit with a pretty cool looking contraption...

Both qualitative and quantitative papers come with different flow and porosity gradings. Qualitative are good for course precipitates and Quantitative are good for fine and course precipitates.

What you want if you are losing particles are Slow/Fine Quantitative papers.

You could build a pressure pump for really cheap:

http://www.dmt-nexus.me/....aspx?g=posts&t=7947

Why are harmala precipitates going through the 101 Filter disks with buchner funnel? I can't figure it out. With Rue Hydrochlorides that never happened. I feel as though the crystal formations with freebasing caapi harmalas are rather small. Can someone verify this?


Unless I'm wrong, it seems as through the amount of Sodium Carbonate needed to reach PH10 is quite a bit less than I thought. I don't currently own a PH meter-- but do have some Ph paper; and I made up a 60 ml dropper bottle full of saturated sodium carbonate solution. And even after re-dissolving 5 grams of very crude first extract in two tablespoons vingegar and 6 oz hot water and boiling for a couple of minutes, I don't think it took even 1 tbl saturated carbonate solution to PH-up the 7-8 oz of liquid. That seems like quite a bit less than adding 200ml saturated Carbonate solution to a quart of liquid. Am I missing something here. I'm guessing a tbl of fully saturated sodium carbonate solution should be more than enough to effectively raise the PH on an average quart of caapi liquid-- even one that still has vinegar left in it...

SWIM placed an order for Whatman 42 filter paper. It filters down to 2.5 microns and should be excellent for gathering Harmalas.

http://vwrlabshop.com/gr...hless-whatman/p/0008370/

Good Idea, so Cosmic... Then you have noticed the very fine Freebase Harmalas slipping through coffee filters and/or 101 filter paper, with their respective porosity? I had never worked with Freebase Form, only Manske harmala salts: these are bigger crystal formations. However, it looked like you didn't have much of a problem in your tech; and I would imagine that pressure pump would push them right through coffee filters. I guess that pressure pump generates as much push as a buchner does pull...

I never had a problem.

All the alkaloids coated and caked up on the coffee filters I used. The liquid always came out clear and nothing ever settled back out, even in the fridge. Maybe I have a good brand of filters? It seems there may not be complete consistency between different brands + qualities of paper coffee filter. There is no standard for it

I ordered the filter paper just to test it out. It looks easy to use.

I want to see how well it works in filtering teas compared to the 3 micron vacuum bags that can be picked up in a $5 three-pack. The vacuum bags are typically more thick and fibrous and are not suitable for filter & collecting alkaloids. They are more of a filter & dispose kind of thing.

I'll definitely being extracting some Harmala with the paper to see how good it works.

The 1 micron filters look pretty slick too. Would be nice to to test some brews filtered down to 1 micron.