Decarbing under vacuum won’t necessarily speed it up but it can’t hurt.
If it’s oil you are decarbing, a vacuumed environment and or mechanical agitation from magnetic stir bar for instance can help speed up purging CO2 dissolved in the oil. Doesn’t speed up the rate of decarboxylation…. But does speed up the rate of your finished product (no bubbles or dissolved gas in your oil).
If it’s biomass you are decarbing, a vacuumed environment or heat convection will be helpful as you will be fighting moisture and other gaseous volatiles. Again, doesn’t speed up the rate of decarboxylation (the chemical reaction)…. But does help expedite the final product (dry decarbed biomass).
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I don’t understand why people are trying to speed up decarb. It only takes a couple hours and you don’t have to watch it once the oil melts.
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Yes you are wrong to assume that. Although it does aid with removing co2 from the oven it does not assist reaction.
It will assist removal of other volatiles that may be present.
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This is right, @406_Chemabis , except that vacuum does also remove much of the more volatile terpenes… in case you want to save those, @Ak_keith .
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Right, I assume in this scenario though, the item under decarboxylation is isolated cannabinoids…. As for flower, unless you have a CO2 extractor on hand and pull the terps off first, I wouldn’t count on having any decent terpenes left over regardless if a vacuum is present or not.
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