Isopropyl Alcohol 99.9% (Suitable for extraction?)

badsacref

New Member
Isopropanol has a fairly high boiling point, so it takes a little longer to evaporate it off. I prefer hexane or acetone. Ethanol works well, and you don't need 95%. Anything over 50% works well. I once made a tincture using cask strength (53%) scotch. It was delicious. I decarboxylated it at 80C for 4 hours in the original (stoppered) bottle. Retained most all of the terpines, terpinoids, etcetera.
 

Fadedawg

Well-Known Member
To start with I'll try any method to begin my education into extraction.
Eventually I hope to be able to produce clear oils.
Amber, Green, Pink - I don't care really care what colour they are
(although it was amber, the twice I had oil offered over the last 20 years).

I just don't want it to look unclean or an amateur attempt.
I don't want anyone to suspect it's been homemade in a local kitchen.
You have a couple of options, choosing between a polar or a non polar extraction, and once you've made that decision, there are more choices.

Polar extractions use a solvent with a diaelectric constant of 15 or higher, and do a good job of extracting, but extract water solubles and chlorophyll in addition to the targeted plant terpenes. The non polar plant waxes are only minimally soluble in them, so they leave most of them behind.

To make a pristine extraction using a polar solvent, requires more skill and more elaborate techniques than a non polar solvent, but produces pristine extractions when done well.

I prefer to use -18C/0F 190 proof ethanol for polar extractions, and extract material that is frozen to that temperature, so as to keep the chlorophyll and water solubles tied up in ice. I use a 3 minute soak under those circumstances and use up to three soaks to extract most the resin.

You can also use 99% Isopropyl, but have to be more careful with final purge due to toxicity and I only use a 20/30 second frozen soak, because it is far more aggressive than the ethanol.

Some use Acetone, but we don't because it is known reproductive system toxin for pregnant women.

Non polar extractions use a solvent like the simple Alkanes, which also do a good job of extracting, and absorb very little water or chlorophyll. They on the other hand extract the non polar plant waxes, which the alcohols tend to ignore.

Their ease of removal decreases as the length of their chain and Van der Waal forces increase. Methane, Ethane, Propane, Butane, Pentane, Hexane, and Heptane all do a good job of extraction, but the liquid gases like the first four, have to be pressurized above atmospheric pressure, or super cooled to be in liquid form.

Butane is about the shortest molecule that is suitable without a pressurized system, is a simpler process compared to polar extraction, and is easy to purge without also losing the lighter monoterpenes, but it is highly flammable and requires greater caution and attention to detail to win.

Hexane makes an even more pristine extraction, but is waaay harder to purge, and unless you have a vacuum, you will most likely need to wash it several times with ethanol to get the residual hexane below the 130 ppm sensory detectable limits, where it tastes like gasoline.

Heptane does an even prettier extraction, but even harder to purge and also tastes like gasoline.

All of the above solvents do a good job of extraction, the challenge is to limit extraction of non targeted elements, and to hold on to as many of the lighter monoterpenes purging out the residual solvent.

First priority of course is safety, so stick to the ones that you can do safely at your location, using the resources at hand.
 

G.hammond421

New Member
So I'm in the midst of researching all of this.. We'll be moving to CO springs in the upcoming year. I want to start a small cbd project/garden to get the family and dogs on an under 1% thc high percentage cbd oil. I support cannabis to the umpteenth degree.

That said.. I've gone thru Google, YouTube, wiki references, etc trying to immerse myself in the subject.

Specifically for this thread I come to the topic of stripping the oil from the plant mass with all these types of solutions. It seems Isopropyl is relatively safe and with the right distiller(?) or reverse distiller(??) can be reused almost forever. So now with the purity percentages, you'd of course want something high.. Like this 99.9% or so. And as someone pointed out, that .1% could really be something bad. I don't want to risk it being arsenic or whatever. Then what would be the point?

Sorry about the babble rollout for the one main question, but..

Do you think with a somewhat decent water purifier, you could purify that isopropyl even more?? I've seen those guys on myth busters running vodka thru one to see if they could boost the quality and regardless of their findings, it didn't hurt the vodka.. Any thoughts?
 

G.hammond421

New Member
And now after reading Fadedawg's science corner.. Wow! So with that frozen 20/30 second wash.. What happens if that plant mass stays soaking in Isopropyl for long periods of time? Will it destroy the cbd? Is heating it up to bake off that alcohol destroying anything? Sorry I'm such a newbie in this. I know I should be going back and reading old threads, which I will. Just excited about the project.
Badsacref.. Awesome with the scotch.. I don't even know what decarboxylated means! So glad I discovered this forum..
 

qwizoking

Well-Known Member
The isopropanol is clean,
At 99,91 and even 70.
We use it in medicine and on electronics, where residue will throw weights and systems off etc.
The 70 or even 50 is for topical use, reduced skin irritation. 91 is as high as it goes without getting fancy (azeotrope)
But the production of iso is not tied to nasties..unlike say acetone


I dont reuse my iso, or get more than im going to use... it becomes somewhat unstable




No it wont destroy the cbd, its stable in solution in the dark



Heating is bad. Vapor pressures are non linear. The less heat used the better
 

iHearAll

Well-Known Member
Does anyone usr activated carbon filters with their green alcohol extracts? I watched a vid recently where the tek took a green isopropyl + THC tincture and poured it through a carbon filter and the run off was clear/yellow. The vid lasted 15 seconds and didnt specify what grade of carbon to use but I'd like to get a try going tonight if anyone has any suggestions. Touch back if it's worth while. Im using a rolled up slice of a fresh carbon filter for air purifiers.
 

iHearAll

Well-Known Member
12 hour iso soak using approx. .25 ounce paperbag dried buds.
20160521_120407.jpg
Filtered once and had replaced this filter because it clogged.
20160521_122336.jpg
Then filtered 5 more times with a new filter.
1463850764237-652293987.jpg
The color is near completely amber but as i work outside i realize the reflection of nearby trees causes the photo to appear slightly green.

Here's a better photo14638509500801386236260.jpg

This is in regard to my previous post about using a carbon filter to purify green dragon tincture. Hope this is inspiring!
 

qwizoking

Well-Known Member
its not.,,

but the shadow of your hand and phone that looks like freddy Krueger , is.....



also, not green dragon...not a tincture... never do that again lol.

but you can break down some of that chlorophyll with sunlight i guess
 

iHearAll

Well-Known Member
i think you're missing the point. A simple and cheap filter can be implemented to improve the purity drastically.


This way may allow for an increased yield since the tek can soak the THC for much longer.

Idk about you but if i try and dizzolve a bit of hash or reclaim in isopropyl, the hash takes much shaking and time to get it completely suspended in the solution.

And you for some reason have something against this method of filtration. You so quickly jumped to reply to this thread and the one i posted moments ago with negative feedback. Care to elaborate?
 

qwizoking

Well-Known Member
Does anyone usr activated carbon filters with their green alcohol extracts? I watched a vid recently where the tek took a green isopropyl + THC tincture and poured it through a carbon filter and the run off was clear/yellow. The vid lasted 15 seconds and didnt specify what grade of carbon to use but I'd like to get a try going tonight if anyone has any suggestions. Touch back if it's worth while. Im using a rolled up slice of a fresh carbon filter for air purifiers.
posted yesterday at 3:57
no response.....

read

i think you're missing the point.
A simple and cheap filter can be implemented to improve the purity drastically.


no, and its not really any better lol, still green.. also carbon filters arent very selective ;)

This way may allow for an increased yield since the tek can soak the THC for much longer.

sure, extracting more crap will do that

Idk about you but if i try and dizzolve a bit of hash or reclaim in isopropyl, the hash takes much shaking and time to get it completely suspended in the solution.

ive found near instant dissolution with a large surface area, ie sieved hash or kief... just like whats found in bud. and quick washing buds consistently yields 15-20% on dank bud confirming this

And you for some reason have something against this method of filtration. You so quickly jumped to reply to this thread and the one i posted moments ago with negative feedback. Care to elaborate?

well as i mentioned a day to reply is hardly "quickly jumping in", i work during the week..... and qwiso is my specialty if i had one. against this method? certainly... in the same way im against a long soak and putting it in the sun to clean your fuck up. its not really an improvement
this has also been talked about plenty


look some of us have a heavy background in chemistry etc thats certainly applicable. you didnt stumble upon anything innovative.
 

iHearAll

Well-Known Member
posted yesterday at 3:57
no response.....

read
Well actually i did stumble on something innovative. I'm not trying to sit here and take credit for passing tincture through a filter. That's many years ago. I just hear alot about shitty qwiso. The product is obviously much purer than initially and lacks all green pigment. Obviously my camera has not done this justice. And as for it being outdoors to evaporate, it has been covered with many layers of paper towels since the start of evaporation. This is to prevent the solution from condensing water and block the sun light. Give me a break, this is for personal use. If you're a practicing chemist with any formal education i hightly doubt you would stoop to learn about hash making from "some guys who posted a thread on some blog website".

Ok how about this picture, i took it under cover and out of sight of any greenery reflections.14638578800291753515873.jpg
 

qwizoking

Well-Known Member
Well actually i did stumble on something innovative.
are you sure??
what then?

I'm not trying to sit here and take credit for passing tincture through a filter.

sounds that way
also why do you seem to be so grumpy, don't take it personally,,.you need a thicker skin for riu


That's many years ago. I just hear alot about shitty qwiso. The product is obviously much purer than initially and lacks all green pigment. Obviously my camera has not done this justice. And as for it being outdoors to evaporate, it has been covered with many layers of paper towels since the start of evaporation. This is to prevent the solution from condensing water and block the sun light.

lol no...

Give me a break, this is for personal use. If you're a practicing chemist with any formal education i hightly doubt you would stoop to learn about hash making from "some guys who posted a thread on some blog website".

didn't? ive helped teach....like many members here

Ok how about this picture, i took it under cover and out of sight of any greenery reflections.

none of your above pictures were amber.., all green, and nobody is going to believe it was from reflection.., been at this a very long time
View attachment 3687483
im.not even gonna comment on the last pic haha but i will say it wont be that color if made in a dark room :lol::hug:

scrape some and take a pic bro

anyway if your happy with it.. good job, you made an iso extract
 
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LordRalh3

Well-Known Member
i make 200 proof, and I'm gonna tell anyone that looks into this to be real damn careful if you ever find something above 190 proof as it either takes some really nasty chemicals or molecular sieves to go any farther. be 100 percent certain you know how that alcohol went from 190 to 200 proof or it could easily kill you
 
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