Difference between revisions of "Q21Q21's Vinegar/Lime A/B Extraction Tek"

Introduction

As a comprehensive guide there's lots of information other than just instructions on how to extract DMT but is nonetheless very useful for understanding the process. It is the goal of the tek that the reader will be able to understand the reasoning and general chemical processes behind each step while the tek is being performed.

If you would like to get right into the "What do I do?" then you can start by reading the Super-short Compressed Tek. (Then the full tek later)
Tek 1 (Uses xylene/d-limonene)
Tek 2 (Uses naphtha)

Background Information

The DMT plant - Mimosa hostilis root bark

While DMT is contained in many plants and animals the plant most commonly used for extractions and the one to be used for this tek is Mimosa Hostilis (abbreviated as MHRB)

Mimosa Hostilis Plant, Whole Mimosa Hostilis Root Bark (MHRB), Shredded MHRB, Powdered MHRB

Mimosa Hostilis is a shrub that contains N-N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and 2 other similarly psychoactive alkaloids (and some TINY amounts of NMT) in its root-bark .

Discussions about suppliers of MHRB are no longer allowed on the DMT-Nexus, so it's best to do outside-Nexus searches for suppliers.

An extremely important note is that I have tried about 10x to get this tek to work with shredded bark and failed each time. Powdered MHRB is the only thing I'd recommend to buy as most blenders cannot powder MHRB properly.

Info about the 3 types of DMT contained in MHRB

Note: All 3 forms of DMT can be administered in several ways which may be mentioned in passing. If you don't know the terms then these links will direct you towards the information.
Methods: Pharmahuasca, Mucosahuasca or Smoking

White N-N-DMT


White DMT I extracted using Tek 2

White N-N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is pure DMT. MHRB usually contains about 1% of its weight in White DMT, though yields from extractions of less than 0.5% and up to 2% are not unheard of.

In the past the ultimate goal of most extractions was to get these pure white crystals, the bark however has more than just White DMT in it.

Red "Jungle" DMT

Thick dark red Jungle DMT extracted from by fully depleting the MHRB using naphtha, then pulling with xylene

"Jungle" DMT is also contained in the bark but cannot be extracted into crystals like White DMT

Jungle DMT when smoked or consumed in pharmahuasca produces effects similar in duration and effects to White DMT.
I strongly believe the yellow DMT which MANY people prefer to pure White DMT is in fact small amounts of Jungle DMT mixed with the White DMT.
I think the cause of this is because Jungle DMT is ever so slightly soluble in naphtha. An analysis was done on this Jungle DMT and it is mostly (95%) DMT. Nonetheless I and many others still believe Jungle DMT produces noticeably different effects.

Yellow DMT-N-oxide

Crystallized DMT-N-oxide made with peroxide and white DMT

DMT-N-oxide was previously thought to be the reason for the yellow in "impure" DMT, but in fact Oxides seems unlikely to be present in the extracted DMT in significant amounts at all. (as I mentioned I believe that yellow is Jungle DMT)
I and many others have smoked DMT which has been in ambient air for months/years without any significant loss of potency.
Considering my tests (using the Oxides in the picture) suggest Oxides are about 1/3 or less potent than white DMT or jungle DMT when smoked (waiting on replication of this test to be positive though) then I conclude Oxides are insignificant and need not be worried about.

Jimjam - The Full Spectrum Product

Jimjam DMT acetate I extracted using Tek 1 with d-limonene

If all the alkaloids are together then the product is a full-spectrum product called "Jimjam". This term will be used a lot during Tek 1.

Jimjam is considered by many to give the full effect of the MHRB. This mix is usually 1-2% of the weight of the MHRB though yields from extractions of more than 2% are not unheard of.

DANGER: DMT and anything containing DMT (like Jimjam DMT) is illegal to possess in most countries - make sure you know your country's laws before considering any extractions.

About the 2 teks

Often instead of saying d-limonene, xylene or naphtha they will be referred to as "the solvent"

In each tek many of the processes are the same but the one big difference is the non-polar solvent used.
Tek 2 uses naphtha (lighter fluid) while Tek 1 uses either xylene (paint thinner) or d-limonene (a citrus-derived cleaner but also used to dissolve HIPS 3D-printing supports)

(Vegetable oil can also apparently be used for Tek 1, you can search the Nexus for the many long threads talking about using it as a solvent)

Naphtha needs to be heated to dissolve or else it won't dissolve anything but its unique solubility properties allow for White DMT to be crystallized out when it is cooled in a freezer. Tek 2 thus involves a heating-step and a freezer-step that Tek 1 does not have. However, naphtha does not dissolve Jungle DMT very well so the extracted product will be almost entirely white DMT and leave the Jungle DMT in the MHRB.

d-limonene and xylene dissolve both white DMT and Jungle DMT at room temperate so Tek 1 doesn't need a heating step.
Because of that it will yield full-spectrum product Jimjam DMT but since it is soluble, even when the solvent is cold, freezer precipitation doesn't work, so one of many different methods can be used to isolate the Jimjam DMT from the solvent.

Useful to know: If d-limonene is used, the tek will be

*100% food-safe*

Note:d-limonene still smells very strong and lingers in your house

For a first-timer Tek 2 may be better advised than Tek 1 because it requires fewer steps and is well-suited for very small test batches like 30g-50g MHRB. I recommend Tek 1 for larger batches.

That being said, both teks are quite simple - comparable to baking a cake.

A little info on Lime

The star of the show (teks) is lime . This food-safe base is
a replacement for lye which is very caustic and toxic.

lime is known as:Lime/Pickling Lime/Hydrated Lime/Cal/Ca(OH)2/Calcium Hydroxide/Kalkwasser.

Until recently using caustic and toxic Sodium Hydroxide (lye, drain cleaner) was the only option as the base when extracting DMT. Lye is very potentially dangerous

These Teks instead use Lime. Lime is a powerful base that is actually food safe. It is powerfully alkaline so take care not to get it in your eyes or inhale it and wash your hands after touching it.

There have often been difficulties obtaining lime, though it is cheap and available in large quantities.

'Here are some tips:
Lime is used in gardening, pickling of foods and also aquariums.
So the best places to look for/call up are grocery stores, ethnic grocery stores or aquarium supply stores.

Local availability varies all the way from none to lots depending on country/location.
If those stores don't have it then one could search a hardware store though often it is only available in LARGE (like 5kg) quantities and many "gardening lime" products are not Ca(OH)2 so make sure to look up a MSDS on a product to be sure.

If no pure/satisfactory product can be obtained locally. Look on the internet for something and confirm that it is pure Ca(OH)2 before purchasing it from a reputable vendor.

If I haven't made this clear enough, let me end this section with a final clarification: You MUST use proper lime for this tek to work! Make sure you do, good luck!

Tek 1: The Jimjam party

Materials required:

IMPORTANT:
The lime, the vinegar, the d-limonene/xylene and MHRB MUST MUST MUST be correct and suitable for use in this tek. The vast majority or problems or complete failures in this tek and others as well are simply due to questionable or incorrect materials. This tek is very easy and I tell people who ask about it, "It is just as easy as it sounds. If your materials are good then your end product will be VERY GOOD."

Extraction Specific:
30g or more Mimosa hostilis root bark (MHRB)
250ml or more 5% White vinegar (CH3COOH)
30g or more Lime (Ca(OH)2)
125ml or more d-Limonene or Xylene
one Container, 1000ml or larger (HDPE2 plastic, glass, metal. Something limonene/xylene won't dissolve)
one or more chopsticks or wooden spoon (to stir the gooey bark)
Some Sealable and shakeable container, 500ml or larger (HDPE2 plastic or glass) or a Separatory funnel
one Turkey baster or pipette(HDPE2 plastic, glass, metal. Something limonene/xylene won't dissolve)
one Stove or Kettle
one Pot or Pan

Useful tools
one or more Funnels
one Rice cooker
one Baking pan/large surface area container
one or more razor blades/scrapers
one or two high quality mason jars

Tincture tools
one or more Medicine droppers. 5ml and/or 1ml
one or more Tincture bottles (1,2,4 or 8 dram) or very small airtight containers (10-20ml)
one or more Sauce cups/shot glasses
one spoon
one lighter/candle/heat source

Preparation:

Step 1: Prepare your supplies

This Tek can get a little messy, so it's best to have everything prepared ahead of time. Above is a picture of your core materials, but make sure to read through the whole material list for everything you might need. Have everything you need nearby so you don't have to make a random trip to a store, halting the Tek.

Also I recommend always having the Tek open an a computer/phone for quick reference.

Caution: Using plastic containers or any plastic in the extraction creates a risk either small plastic residues in the product or even a completely messed up end product. (This is not an exaggeration, read these posts: #1, #2, #3) HDPE2 (Most dense non-clear plastics, labeled as such on the bottom) should be safe to use but glass would be the safest choice.

Acidification with Vinegar:

This step utilizes the vinegar (acetic acid) to change the DMT-tannate molecules contained in the MHRB into DMT-acetate and in the process dissolve them into the surrounding vinegar. The pH of the dilute vinegar is ~2.5 so the mix will probably be around that but checking the pH shouldn't be necessary.

Note 1: this step does not need to be too "exact".

Step 1: Take 30g-250g powdered MHRB and place in your container. (For first-timers 100g is recommended, this tek does not work with shredded/whole MHRB)

Step 2: Add vinegar to the bark and stir until the bark starts forming clumps. Add enough so most of the bark is wet, red and clumpy.

Step 3: Slowly and while stirring add near-boiling tap water. Add and stir until it is wet enough to flow when you tip the container to one side or the other.

The bark will absorb some of the water over the first few minutes.

Add more warm/hot water to get it wet enough again as needed (it will be about: 100ml vinegar and 100ml near-boiling water for 100g MHRB).

Step 4: Stir several times as the bark is let to sit for 20-40 minutes (longer won't hurt though). YOU DO NOT NEED TO STIR CONSTANTLY, ONLY PERIODICALLY.

Note 2: If you were to choose not to do the acidification step (thus doing a STB lime tek) it would work... but that would make the tek take at least 5x as long to complete. I do not recommend skipping the vinegar step! The vinegar step is essential for the swiftness of the Tek.

Basification with Lime:

A basified mix of MHRB at Consistency 2

This step utilizes the alkalinity of the lime to convert the polar DMT-acetate in the vinegar-water (a polar solvent) into non-polar DMT freebase which is soluble in limonene/xylene (non-polar solvents) and not soluble in water. Since lime can raise the pH to 12-12.5 the pH of the "mush" should be close to that though once again pH testing shouldn't be necessary.

MAKE SURE YOUR LIME IS Calcium Hydroxide OR ELSE THE TEK WILL NOT WORK!

Step 1: Add to the mix at least 3g of lime for every 4g of MHRB used. (IE: 150g lime for 200g MHRB.) Don't be fussy though, more lime will not hurt.

For those of you without scales: 1 cup of lime is 130-150g.

Step 2: Stir it very thoroughly until all the pure white lime is mixed and there is no more red. The mix tends to form a "dark top" when you stop mixing - that is fine. It is completely normal.

Step 3: Create the right consistency.

There are 3 different consistencies that you can shoot for with a lime-tek. Each one will require slightly different methods of mixing and separating the solvent, but none of them are obviously superior so I'll just briefly talk about them.

Once you have achieved your desired consistency, move on the the Pulling with Non-Polar Solvent

1 - Dry and Crumbly

How to achieve it:

After step 2, add lime until the mix is pretty dry, then either let it dry at room temperature or in an oven on low until dry and crumbly

Pros:

This one seems to have the least amount of solvent loss, but still will absorb a noticeable amount over time.

Cons:

Requires extra lime and time to create the consistency

Pouring the solvent off can result in bits of sediment at the bottom, so filtering is recommended

If there are large chunks, the solvent may not fully penetrate them

2 - Thick Porridge

How to achieve it:

After step 2, add water or lime until it resembles a thick porridge

Pros:

Easiest to achieve and work with in my opinion

Cons:

Greatest solvent loss of the 3 methods

3 - Tomato Soup-like

How to achieve it:

After step 2, add water until it resembles a thick and grainy soup that easily flows as a whole when its container is tilted

Pros:

Medium solvent loss

Can be used in a sealed bottle or a bowl

Note: Xylene and d-limonene love to leak out of sealed containers! HDPE2 milk jugs and high quality mason jars work well

Cons:

Heavier and easier to spill

Can form emulsions with solvent (usually only with vigorous agitation)

Pulling with Non-Polar Solvent:

A large batch of MHRB-lime mush in a bowl with clear d-limonene solvent floating on top

Each time this step is done it is called "a pull" and the step is used a non-polar solvent to dissolve the Jimjam DMT from the basified bark, this separation is essential if a pure product is to be extracted

IMPORTANT NOTE: Solvent loss is very typical in limeteks, it is basically a necessary evil you need to accept. Losing 50-100ml of solvent during a pull with a large batch of MHRB is quite common for me. Just make sure you have much more solvent than you need and you won’t have a problem.

When to do your pulls:

I recommend to do the first pull after the lime has had 6-8 hours to work on the bark, this is the most efficient time to get a quick good yield. A pull done at this time usually gets you around 30-50% of the total DMT in the MHRB.

If you do a pull right after adding the lime, it will work, but will be more like 10-25% of the total DMT

After your first pull, I recommend one at ~24 hours and one at ~48 hours. These 3 pulls together should yield you 80-90% of the total DMT

Pulls after that tend to be rather inefficient. If you want to extract all the DMT, I recommend 2 additional pulls: at 1 week and at 2 or 3 weeks. All 5 pulls combined should yield you over 95% of the total DMT.

Step 1: Add at least 1.5-2ml d-limonene or xylene for every gram of MHRB. (75-100ml for 50g)

Step 2: Mix so the solvent contacts all the bark-mix as thoroughly as possible, it should not mix into the bark and should remain transparent.

If you have it in a bowl: mix with a spoon or chopstick. You can mix it pretty well without getting an emulsion in my experience, but no need to be vigorous when mixing.

If you have it in a sealable container: you can just roll the container around in your hands to mix it.

Be very careful not to mix too vigorously or you can get a nasty emulsion (all of the solvent stuck in the bark mix).

Mix it well several times over 40-60 minutes. (I’ve done experiments that suggest pulls under 30 minutes do not completely dissolve the DMT-freebase into the solvent.)

YOU DO NOT NEED TO STIR CONSTANTLY, ONLY PERIODICALLY.

Step 3: Separate the solvent from the lime-bark mix. You needn't be too fussy about getting 100% of the solvent, 90% is a good goal. Trying for more usually results in frustration and getting bark-mush in the solvent.

If you have it in a bowl Prepare a funnel with a cotton ball in the neck over a solvent-safe container then very carefully pour the solvent into the funnel.

If you have it in a sealable container: Prepare a funnel with a cotton ball in the neck over a solvent-safe container then use a turkey baster or pipette to suck up the solvent and squirt by squirt put it through the funnel.

Note:Although you can do another pull with fresh solvent while you are working with the pull you just separated, it probably is not worth the effort and is just wasteful.

Alternative Next-Steps

Now that you have a solvent containing dissolved DMT there are several methods to complete the tek besides my method. There are 3 alternative methods to get the DMT out of the solvent, Each is explained in detail in BLAB (Step 4) by all means give them a look and if you prefer them then do them instead.

↓My preferred method is below↓

Salting with Vinegar:

Cloudy d-limonene floating on top of yellowish vinegar

This step uses vinegar (acetic acid) to convert the DMT-freebase in the solvent to DMT-acetate which are water soluble, but not soluble in d-limonene or xylene. It is called "salting" and is basically just getting the DMT out of the solvent.

Note 1: Xylene and D-Limonene are very leaky, most containers will eventually start leaking during the salting process. I recommend high quality mason jars that you’ve tested the lids to make sure the solvent doesn’t react with.

Step 1: Pour some vinegar into the sealable container with the solvent. About 2 shot glasses full.

Step 2: Seal the container and agitate it a bunch. I prefer to use the turning-the-doorknob method to agitate as shaking sometimes causes leakage. Emulsions in this step always resolve pretty easily. No need to be careful.

Agitate the container 3-4 times over 40-60 minutes. The solvent will quickly start to get cloudy and the vinegar will gradually get more yellow.

You don’t have to wait until the solvent gets clear, it doesn’t seem to relate to the process being finished.

Step 3: Use a turkey baster/pipette to suck out the vinegar (bottom layer) and transfer it to a separate clean container. As with the other liquid separations, 90% is okay.

Note 2: Try to get as little of the solvent during the separation as possible. This solvent will leave plant oils and other junk in your end product. That being said, a 1mm layer of solvent atop your vinegar is common using this method.

Step 4: Repeat steps 1-3 once in exactly the same way, combine the separated vinegar pulls in a sealable container. Keep it safe because any spill will be a loss of lots of DMT!

For those that want DMT as soon as possible, proceed immediately on to the condensing step after Step 4.

Step 5: For those more patient/lazy, plan for your next non-polar solvent use.

The most efficient/least effort extraction:

Non-polar pull #1 - 6-8 hours after adding the lime - then use vinegar to salt out the DMT

Non-polar pull #2 - 24 hours after adding the lime - then use vinegar to salt out the DMT