Hey guys, so i’ve been having problems with conversions on our concentrates. We have been using ethanol extraction (cryo) and during post processing and purging the temperatures have been well below decarb temperatures, yet im still seeing high conversions. ive used next to no heat on roto bath and kept the ovens below 30C. for the life of me i cannot figure out why more than half of my thca is converting… any feed back would be great thanks!
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What’s your starting material? Could’ve be decarbed before you started. Naturally, not on purpose.
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fresh frozen
Oh wow, would not have guessed that. How was it frozen?
Is it new Ethanol? maybe somehow it got Acidic?
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it came from a grow were a processing facility so we buy from other places. but as far as i know it was just cut and put in like a big walk in freezer.
when it was extracted fresh ethanol was used. But during post processing it was reused ethanol. i know there is terps left behind in the reused ethanol we actually just did a sample test of our ethanol and it came back high for terps.
I would bet it was that way to start with. Sounds like it was cut late/not frozen in a timely fashion. Just a guess, but I got nothing on why anything you did would have caused it.
What type of conversions are we talking about here?
the THCa is converting over to THC like alot
How long did the material sit in the sun? How long are you purging for?
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well i was going for a live resin sugar. so after post processing i actually just let it sit in its dish with the lid on for a while and all was well and then i put it in the vac oven at 20c for 8 hours and i started seeing a conversion after that. My only down fall that is kind of making me wonder is that we dont purge for a straight period of time because they wont let me run it over night so its going under vac and then nothing for the night time then back in the oven in the am. but its only purged for a total of about 20 hours
Why don’t they let you purge overnight? That’s prime purging time!
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Idk the support system kinda sucks here they aren’t supplying me with the proper equipment for one the oven I’m using works but it’s just not sufficient enough for what I’m trying to accomplish and my boss’ argument for why she doesn’t want to invest to much yet is because there “isn’t a market for dabs” which is complete bull shit butttt there starting to come around now so I’m trying to gather all my facts and points to take to them and hopefully they bend a bit more.
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Did you test the starting material?
Ethanol needs too much heat or time to remove. Cannabinoid acids in solution will Decarb. It doesn’t need any heat added due to other compounds naturally present catalyzing the Decarb reaction.
The best way to avoid this is to extract colder with a better solvent like butane or propane, won’t pick up waxes and can recover bulk solvent fast enough to avoid any Decarb
Ethanol is for crude extracts, if you want sauce , use gas
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It’s more than possible to extract with ethanol and make solid THCA products. I do it everyday.
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I never said it wasn’t possible but Is far from ideal conditions. @TheLostBiologist
THCA in extracted solutions will Decarb whether it’s alcohol or alkane. It’s a function of time, heat, and other compounds present. Ethanol extracts need to have solvent quickly removed, which can be done but gas extracts are much easier for obvious reasons. Faster recovery also gives a lighter color overall.
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I’ve had extracts sitting around at room temperature for well over a week before purging and didn’t see significant decarb or a reduction in clarity. I’m not sure what factors of ethanol you think promote decarb but I’ve been doing this for a while and I haven’t seen it.
It’ll happen in any solvent but again extract composition makes all the difference.
Decarb occurs when the OH and COOH form a specific shape(conformation) allowing for electron flow to kick off the COOH. This occurs due to the rotation of the COOH group which when sped up by heat, spins to the confirmation needed more often, thus higher rate of Decarb.
Other compounds present can also interact and form the confirmation, allowing for the movement needed to kick off the COOH. Terpenes, plant acids, sugars, etc can catalyze Decarb. Even ethanol can interact, though it’s limited.
The purer the extraction, the less you will see it.
It’s obvious in undecarbed crude extracts stored in bulk containers. You can see Decarb at room temp with many extracts muffining up excessively, many times overflowing the bucket when the extractor is unprepared for this fact.
Some extracts do it much more then others, Ethanol needs more heat and time then gasses , meaning it’s seen more in ethanol then gasses but doesn’t mean it’s not manageable, .
It’s all about rate, for most extracts, it’s relatively slow, but some will go very quick due to the extracts composition
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