So I'm expecting my continuous liquid-liquid extractor (heavier-than-water) to arrive in the mail later today, and I'm trying to figure out the best way to get ahold of some DCM. I haven't been able to locate a chemical supply store in my area, and I'm weary of ordering something like this off eBay. (Maybe I shouldn't be?)

I did, however, find a product at a local craft store called Weld-On 3 acrylic cement. According to its MSDS, it's composed of 90% DCM, 9% Trichloroethane, and 1% Methyl Methacrylate Monomer.

Would it be advisable to use this product as-is for a nonpolar extraction? My understanding is that both DCM and Trichloroethane can be used for this sort of thing, so I assume using them together wouldn't be a problem, but I don't really know what to expect from the Methyl Methacrylate. According to this, though, its evaporation rate is quite high, so perhaps it would evaporate off safely? Would it be likely to react in any way with the DMT?

If I should distill the stuff first, how many times would I need to do so in order to isolate DCM of acceptable purity? Or would it not even be possible to purify it enough? Do I need to just be patient and find a way to get actual ACS grade DCM?

Thanks in advance for your help!


Edit: Ah, crap, I just noticed the sticky thread. My bad...

Would someone who knows the answer to this question be more likely to see it if it were moved to the Advanced Chemistry forum? I don't know what the policy is on moving threads out of the nursery, but I'm dying to figure this out. My CLLE arrived yesterday and now all I need to get started is some DCM. I'd be so grateful if you guys could give me any kind of advice in that regard! Even though I don't have much chemistry experience, I'm determined to learn how to do this properly so I can be sure the spice I share with my friends is as pure and healthy as possible.

Im sorry I dont know about Methyl Methacrylate. Lets wait a couple of days see if anybody can answer you, otherwise we can try to pm or talk directly with some of our chemists and get some feedback.

Sounds great. Thanks a ton!

Hey endlessness, any luck with them chemistry folks?