Hello Nexus!
Someone else, not me, has completed a DMT extraction based on Q21Q21’s tek, and has told me all about so I can report to you.
There are some interesting bits in here that might make this worth reading, even if you’re familiar with tek. Most importantly, the NPS used was petroleum ether. Also included are some ideas that worked well and might come handy for anyone wishing to try this tek.
SWIM used exactly 100 grams of powdered MHRB, ran a total of three pulls, and produced a yield of 1080 mg of nice, almost perfectly white crystals. Only the third pull had a very minor and barely noticeable yellow tint, the first two pulls where as white as it gets. SWIM tried the product and found it to be very smooth.
SWIM suspects that using petroleum ether instead of naphtha really made the difference for the purity of the product, and maybe this post can get a discussion going on the pros and cons of this NPS. Feel free to skip to the discussion section if you’re not interested in the report itself.
Extraction ReportSWIM obtained a 1-quart Pyrex measuring cup with a wide and flat bottom for this extraction. Using such a cup instead of a bowl makes it easier to pour out the NPS after each pull later. SWIM also obtained a Pyrex glass dish, to be used for the freeze-precipitation step, and some cheese cloth. From the cheese cloth and some medical tape, SWIM made a sock that fits tightly around the glass dish. More on that later.
100 grams of powdered MHRB were placed in the 1-quart measuring cup and mixed with 100 ml of 5% distilled vinegar. Then around 100 ml of boiling hot water are added and mixed in thoroughly. The target consistency is thick and just barely flowing when the cup is tilted slightly. SWIM let the mixture stand for around 40 minutes, stirring two or three times. Over the 40 minutes, the mixture thickened and stops flowing when the cup is tilted. Q21Q21’s tek says to add some more hot water to keep the mix flowing, but SWIM disregarded this advice.
Swim then added 85 grams of lime which caused the mixture to dry up. The goal was to create a “dry and crumbly” consistency, but the mix was too dry to form clumps. SWIM had to add some more water now, and maybe adding it earlier would have been easier. SWIM only added tiny amounts of water at a time until the mix started to form clumps; it’s always easier to add water than to remove water once things get too wet.
SWIM then covered the cup with cardboard and let it stand for 20 hours, gently stirring the mix twice during that time. Q21Q21 suggests to wait 6 to 8 hours, but SWIM wanted to clumps to be as dry as possible to ensure the NPS stays perfectly clear during the pulls. When stirring the mix, SWIM tried to gently break up larger clumps and to get the clump sizes as consistent as possible.
Next, the 1-quart cup was placed in a shallow plastic tote containing some warm water. The petroleum starts to boil above 105 °F, so the water should not be warmer than that. Warm tap water should be just fine. During the 60 minute pull, hot water is added every 15 minutes or so to maintain the temperature.
Around 200 to 250 ml of petroleum ether were added to the MHRB. This was done in a garage with the garage door partially open. Good ventilation is important because the petroleum ether evaporates easily. Most of the MHRB should be covered by the solvent. The solvent had to be topped off a little towards the end of the pull due to evaporation. Also, SWIM increased the temperature a little bit toward the end of the pull.
After 60 minutes, the solvent was poured into the glass dish. The glass dish was stuck into the cheese cloth sock prepared earlier to catch any of the MHRB clumps that might fall out of the cup. Before starting to pour out the solvent, SWIM used paper towels to dry the bottom of the Pyrex jar. This made it easier to pour out the solvent and prevented water from making it into the glass dish. SWIM put a rubber glove on his left hand to hold back the MHRB while pouring out the solvent. SWIM then grabbed the glass dish with the gloved hand and pulled of the cheese cloth sock with the other.
Next, the glass dish was covered with saran wrap and placed into the freezer. The plastic types typically used for saran wrap can withstand brief exposure to petroleum ether. Just make sure the wrap is tight enough to not dip into the solvent.
SWIM let the dish stand in the freezer for 24 hours to give the crystals a chance to settle. After 24 hours, the solvent was poured off carefully and collected in a jar. The dish was then placed in a well ventilated area to dry. SWIM covered the dish with cardboard to prevent dust from falling in.
A pull left behind only around 100 ml of reusable solvent. Given the significant solvent loss due to evaporation, SWIM was doing only three pulls spread out over a full week. The idea was to maximize the yield that can be expected from three pulls. The second pull was done after 2 days and the third after another 3 days.
The first pull yielded 420 mg, the second 350 mg, and the third 310 mg. SWIM believes that additional pulls would have probably yielded more, but given the relatively high solvent loss, SWIM decided against further pulls.
ResultI will try to attach an image of the crystals from the third and last pull scraped into a pile in the Pyrex glass dish. (I don't know if I can attach an image. I'll try.) The image is taken under a 6500K studio lamp. This pile is 310 mg. SWIM assumes that the purity is excellent, both based on the color of the crystals, the perfectly clear solvent after pulling, and on the smooth vapor. To try the product, SWIM used a pen shaped vaporizer that is often recommended for vaporizing DMT. Except for some dust particles, no visible residue was left in the coil after evaporating the DMT.
The results are repeatable. SWIM has tried this tek once before with 50 grams of MHRB. This first extraction included some missteps and is not worth discussing. However, the crystals produced by this previous attempt were equally white.
DiscussionBased on Q21Q21’s description of the tek, SWIM expected a yellowish result. The quality of the product came as a surprise given that SWIM is still new to the game. The suspected reason for the success is the NPS: petroleum ether with a BP between 40 and 60 °C.
SWIM guesses that this solvent is very specific in dissolving DMT and leaves behind most of the other alkaloids present in MHRB. If that was the case, petroleum ether would have to be considered a prime choice as a solvent.
Regarding safety, petroleum ether comes with a few caveats. The solvent does not have a very noticeable smell. By the time you smell it, you’re already inhaling a lot of it. It is probably not carcinogenic due to its lack of aromatic hydrocarbons. However, some sources say that it might be slightly carcinogenic. The biggest risk is probably damage to the central nervous system. From my initial research, it appears that a respirator with a P100 filter cartridge should be good enough as protection. Also, if one only gets exposed occasionally, the health risks should be low.
Regarding purity, petroleum ether can be obtained in ACS grade from many places around the world. According to some online sources, ACS grade is generally considered suitable for use in food and medicine production. Also, the highly volatile nature of the solvent ensures that none of the solvent remains caught the product.
Finally, cost. For this discussion, I will assume that acceptable cost means that the cost for the solvent stays below 30% of the total cost of the extraction. SWIM has been looking at availability from online vendors in Europe and in the US. In the US, one would have to buy at least one gallon of solvent to get it at an acceptable price. In Europe, a 5 liter container would be the minimum.
So, what do you think?
Love
Me
unclebob attached the following image(s):
3rd_pull.jpg
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