After reading This Tek and researching the cost of elemental zinc, its just not economical. I read the mention of using absorbic acid instead, yet have found no reports on it. Has anyone had success with any alternative reagents like vitamin C for this process?

Not that I know of. I do know that some studies with oxidised blue psilocin showed that vitamin C was able to convert it to an active alkaloid, but it was apparently no longer psilocin. Not sure of the accuracy of that, but SWIM tried it and it does make the blue psilocin active again, but whether or not it’s a new alkaloid is unknown to SWIM, it felt just like psilocin to SWIM.

It might work for DMT. Vitamin C is a very strong anti-oxidant, but I don’t know if it’s strong enough to pull the oxygen off DMT n-oxide. It is plenty strong enough to change the blue inactive psilocin to a white active substance, so it’s worth a try. It’s an easy test to do. Vitamin C is cheap. You can make DMT N-Oxide by dissolving DMT in hydrogen peroxide and alcohol.

But why not just smoke the DMT N-oxide? Isn't the trip the same? Or is there a big difference?

Some people claim that smoking DMT N-Oxide converts it to DMT, but SWIM has not found that to be the case. There's a difference.

DMT N-Oxide lasts a little longer, and is friendlier than DMT. It's also less potent.

One reason for doing is this getting alot of red goo during recrystallization that is insoluble in naphtha, though i have read that n-oxide is not red, but conversion would allow separation from whatever else composes this goo. This stuff does not crystallize, but remains a goo if dried. It may be smokable, but there is reason to suspect that much residual solvent would be trapped within it. Zinc was proposed by ron69 to turn it back into its freebase form, however if there are other oils in it, i would have reason to suspect it might hinder the reaction, but maybe ron69 cam chime in on that one and clear that up.

I suppose getting elemental zinc might be a good option, except that it gives away your position on the gestapo's radar, or maybe im just being paranoid, however i did take note of the "we reserve the right to ask questions and limit quantities" on alot of sites.

I am also foreseeing the issue of how much zinc to add (on a 1:1 ratio), for how is one to know the weight of the goo without incurring massive losses? Most scales that read on the gram level cant hold much weight or arent very accurate.

One may mix the goo with some pre-measured carrier such as inert powder, e.g. calcium carbonate (chalk) or even leafy material. Then see the increase in weight when the carrier is measured again.

Obviously leafy material is not good if one's going for the reduction of the oxide, but it gives a rewarding experience when smoked.

(NOTE: SWIM's FOAF has tried to reduce n-oxide using excess of L-ascorbic acid, he got limited if any success. He has also tried sodium metabisulfite as well as sodium nitrite again unsuccessfully.)

Has anyone tried just re-extracting the goo without zinc? I think you might be surprised at the result.

If any of the goo is just impure DMT, then a re-extraction works great. But you won't be able to re-extract DMT N-Oxide with heptane or naphtha, it just isn’t going to happen.

The best way to recover DMT N-Oxide is the following:

Dissolve 1 gram of DMT in as little 10% hydrochloric acid solution as possible, and then add 1 more part 10% hydrochloric acid. Add 1 gram of zinc dust. Mix continuously for 3 hours. You will see bubbles form if the reaction is working. After 3 hours, filter out the zinc. Then freebase and extract into naphtha, just like you would normally do.

That method is proven to work. Substituting hydrochloric acid with a weaker acid or using something other than zinc MIGHT work, but I’ve not seen anyone report good results from anything other that the method above.

3 hours?!! i think my arm would fall off if i tried that. Isnt there another way? Would heat help expedite this process? What if i just let it sit overnight, would that have the same effect?

Also, is the n-oxide visible in a basic solution when re-ab'ing? Normally DMT becomes visible as a white homogenous milky substance, and when its extracted with naphtha all thats normally left is a slightly cloudy basic solution (as it should be in a relatively pure form). Ive observed a brown fatty mass precipitate out in the basic solution when re-ab'ing before and float to the top, and it had a knack for absorbing solvent but wouldnt abosrb into the solvent. Is this perhaps n-oxide, or just plant junk?