Subject: Re: Extraction of DMT from Mimosa Hostilis
From: alchem@nym.lycaeum.org
Date: August 28, 1997 at 06:45:41
In Reply to: Re: Extraction of DMT from Mimosa Hostilis posted by alkaloid@nym.lycaeum.org on August 27, 1997 at 18:24:44:
> I think an emulsion can be broken by adding detergent or possibly making > the solution more ionic by adding salt but I'm not completely sure about > this. Salting is an often suggested method that doesn't always work that well. Emulsions during extraction can be a real pain. Chlorinated solvents have more of a tendency to form emulsions than straight hydrocarbons. In my experience, higher pH also increases emulsion problems - maybe this case is an exception, or maybe the effect begins to decrease as pH increases further (13 is a pretty damn high pH). The best thing to do is avoid an emulsion in the first place. OC lab texts will tell you not to shake the mixture too vigorously. Invert the stoppered funnel and swirl gently for a few minutes, instead. Of course, this is less efficient and you may need to extract 5x or more instead of 3x (still less work then breaking a bad-ass emulsion). I have had good success breaking emulsions like the one described here as follows: 1) Microwave it gently for a few seconds. (Remove the stopper from the sep funnel!!) 2) Stab it with a wire to break the surface films. 3) Take two wires and connect them to the terminals of a 9 volt battery. Drop one wire into the sep funnel aqueous layer and stir the emulsion with the other. Don't let the wires touch or the effect will be short circuited. Be careful about sparks, too. Don't let the wires touch in the vapor space of the sep funnel. This works very well in most cases. 4) Sometimes you can let the mess sit overnight (or even over a week) and it'll separate nicely. Then again maybe not. 5) Lay a naked virgin across an altar and pray to Dionysius. AlChem