ILPT has a hunch that high pH would break down oily, tarry gummy shit from seeds and would ease the filtration.
The idea :idea: is to raise the pH up to 12(or more) in the collected strained liquid after vinegar cooks.Leave it for while and then bring it back down to pH 5-6. Then let it all settle siphone off the liquid and then filter...

He heard about lad who`s performing a/b with pH reaching 12 Does he destroying any goodies? Could one get even higher?

what are the safest min. and max. pH values for harmaline, harmine and THH ???

I couldn't tell you that, but I know the guy who sold harmine on ebay used NaOH for extraction and claimed to get pretty good results. If he's selling it I suppose he'd have to

Here we go : http://www.dmt-nexus.me/...=posts&t=764&p=6

I think it's this bluejay fellow who distributes it.

But you didn't know which pH he used for the basification. One can perfectly use NaOH to get any basic pH. Use of NaOH does not at all mean pH>13 or something.

But re to Kemist, SWIM has used pH of just above 12 for harmala extractions and he was not at all been displeased or disappointed. So, it's fine to go that high. He doesn't though know about going higher than that.

He mentions pH 12 and is very firm about using accurate pH measurement. Though this is only about .5 (?) higher than sodium carbonate so I don't know if that all too important. I think his main reason for using NaOH is just to get it more basic without having to add extra water as is often required with sodium carbonate.

Harmalol (a phenolic alkaloid like bufotenine and psilocin) is likely to be destroyed rapidly at pH 12. Some paganum harmala contains harmalol as the main active alkaloid, but usually it's harmine or harmaline.

Both harmine and harmaline are likely to be destroyed if left at pH 12 for extended periods of time.

SWIM had once dissolved a big amount of sodium carbonate in an acidic brew of peganum harmala. Nothing really was destroyed. The pH got just above 12. He waited for a few days for the freebases to precipitate, and his end-product was no inferior at all.

He does not think that pH as high as 12 can harm the alkaloids.

It's more likely that harmalol would be damaged because of it's hydroxyl group.

SWIM has seen a solution of harmaline begin to darken at pH 12 after about 4 hours. So I do think something happens to it. But maybe just the impurities were darkening in color. I don’t really know.

Good news guys. ilpt done two saltings on filtered rue brew and gained 2,6 grams of brownish

stuff which he freebased very slowly by adding finely powdered Na2CO3(created by heating NahCO3 2 hours at 200c and half an hour at 250C )

he stopped on pH value somwhere between 8-9 (only indic. papers were used)
.... then he isolated precip. and freebased mother liquid up to ph12-13 by adding more carbonate.

THEY BOTH SITTING at pH 13 in solution of sodium carbonate NOW IT`S THREE HOURS

First precip is brown second white with yellow tint. Think the first one is harmine and second ONE harmaline
only 2 saltings were done so brownish colour of first precip. could be caused by impurities, don`t know. Parrot need to bioassayed it first.

No change occur with prec. they only looks a bit cleaner after high pH wash

I THINK WE CAN NAILED ONE FOREVER THAT HIGH pH NOT HARMING HARMALAS

Don`t know about harmalol and don`t care cos that one should by excluded after manske prec.

Btw. after first manske salting he get about 10 grams of prec.
Therefore ILPT wisely saved mother liquid after both saltings and try isolate more alks, altought those would be more likey contaminated with little toxin what harmala has, we`ll see

Ehrmm and there is no point let them sit for long in high pH. After 2 hours all prec. set and ready for drying or another wash

Yeah it was this fellow who inspired ILPT not to fear high pH Thanx bluejay!
Guys imagine STB on harmalas.

ILPT cannot wait for next batch of seeds he wanted try something really crazy mixed powdered seeds with some calcium hydroxide make it a bit wet. mixed it leave it for couple of hours then add lot of vinegar to ph 4-5 and and water boil for while, let settle siphoned off and go for manske. :idea: