The electrolysis idea is quite interesting, although what you're thinking about may be more akin to electrophoresis. As Du57mi73 says, it won't work in a non-polar solvent but from what you've been saying it sounds more like you'd be wanting to try it on the acidified aqueous phase anyhow.

Freebase alkaloids are of course generally electrically neutral and therefore would not be attracted to either electrode. The salted alkaloids would collect around the cathode, as they are cations. Beware of electrolytic reduction and hence possible weird dimerisations and the like, though!

I'm thinking more and more now that the magnesium sulphate trick is a genius idea. Perhaps it works with limonene too? :thinkthinkthink:

I was actually thinking of a 50g nacl, 10-20g mag sulf combo might be pretty good.

Glad I could help out in any way I can, whether it be directly or indirectly!

Good to see that the work I did a year ago is still being looked at!

and that right there ancotar was one of those cases of trapped solvent under some kind of bark net.

actually all aside it does raise an interesting question, would any material in a mixture of waters with salts in it, migrate to the less dense water? because i still cant quite figure out, though i can reproduce it, why the bark ends up settling as a lay on top of the magnesium saturated water and producing that solvent net.

the whole idea about the electrodes inside the goop are two fold, one to force the alkaloids into suspension and hopefully to break apart heavier alkaloids that may not be be collectable otherwise.

i dont think the nps being conductive would be important, in fact i would thing it would be advantageous to it being non conductive because the alkaloids would be more inclined to go there.

anyhow i have this machine coming in soon which is used for muscle rehabilitation after a stroke, im going to figure out how to modify it to complete a circuit inside a sealed jar, how im not sure, but i guess its time to learn something about circuit engineering, the one thing i do know is that epsom salts in water do conduct electricity, so at least i wont encounter so much resistance that it will burn out one of the fuses. but that said, im still a long way away from that step.

still these is fascinating, man i wish i could figure out a way to convert this over to a respectable application and do these tests at a university, you would think these nutty extraction methods would have to interest someone doing biochemical or pharmaceutical research.

anyhow thank you everyone.

I have one of those machines. They work wonders, but it creates a pulse of electricity, not a constant stream.