Limtek Extraction

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Though all of the other extraction techniques may be employed in nontoxic or at least less toxic manners, few are perfectly suited for completely nontoxic implementation with food-grade household chemicals. Limtek extraction is named as such because it employs the use of d-Limonene and pickling lime, and is distinguished by the unique way in which lime must be used for effective results--similarly to drytek--as well as the hygrophobic properties of limonene. Unlike most bases used in extraction, lime has very low solubility in water, and so even though it does qualify as a strong base, it does not behave as such in solution; it must be mixed into a paste with the source material and a minimal amount of water in order to behave as a strong base. One of the drawbacks of drytek extraction is that upon removal of moisture from the mixture of material and reagent, the reaction will essentially terminate, greatly limiting the effectiveness of the extraction. Limonene, however, is an NPS and so is hygrophobic, meaning that the source material can remain moist.

Considerations:

Limtek extraction is nontoxic and food-grade throughout, using no toxic or otherwise hazardous materials in the process. This technique uses the absolute minimum of material and volume possible for extraction, and due to it's lack of a proper aqueous phase in the extraction process, requires no separatory methods prior to salting and facilitates solid disposal in lieu of dumping large volumes of potentially toxic solution. This process bears the least resemblance to the production of other less savory substances, reducing legal risks to the operator, to include chemical odors.

Overview of Materials and Methods

Materials Required
Source Material: DMT-Containing Botanical Material
Solvents: Water NPS Typically d-Limonene
Reagents/Desiccants: Calcium Hydroxide (Pickling Lime)

Material Considerations:

In order for the process to remain nontoxic, an aqueous food-grade acid should be used to salt out of the product.
- FASW (Fumaric Acid Saturated Water) can be evaporated to achieve a crystalline DMT fumarate.
- vinegar can be used to achieve DMT acetate but will not crystallize.
Limonene can be replaced with other NPS's, but the process will cease to be nontoxic.

Methods:

Extraction by limtek is characterized by the lack of a proper aqueous phase but also the lack of necessity for drying procedures, and essentially involves a pasty or doughy material being washed in the target solvent to retrieve product.

Extraction Procedure

Mix the powdered material with lime between 1:2 and 1:1 and mix thoroughly.
- no reaction occurs at this point but thorough mixing will help to ensure an even reaction for the following steps.
Thoroughly moisten the mixture while stirring, ensuring that no dry spots remain and the mixture exhibits a doughy or pasty consistency.
- the added water facilitates reaction and a basic environment which may aid in breaking down the plant material.
- the acid component of the natural salt-form of the product within the plant material will be neutralized, yielding a freebase product.
Ensure a thoroughly homogeneous mixture and allot enough time and stirring for a complete reaction.
- this is the most important part for a successful yield, and due to the lack of a proper aqueous phase, the reaction requires a stronger degree of manual facilitation.
Wash the mixture with NPS by stirring and decanting to collect the NPS, and proceed to the appropriate desired crystallization method.
- the more contact brought between the material and the target solvent, the more successful the extraction will be.