I have a question about MagSil-PR. I find MagSil-PR to be a fantastic product for removing unwanted color from the winterized heptane/saline-washed oil that I feed into my VKL wiper. However, when I use MagSil-PR to make water-clear distillate I find that my water-clear distillate is hyper-sensitive to oxidation and sometimes I end up with batches of purple distillate. The only time I see purple batches of distillate is when I have used MagSil-PR to remove unwanted color from my winterized heptane/saline-washed oil. Is there a way to use MagSil-PR to remove some of the color (i.e., water-clear distillate is a want, but not a need) from my winterized heptane/saline-washed oil without some of my distillate batches turning purple?
I understand that it is turning purple because the pH is getting too high at some point in my process. For this reason I do everything possible to keep the pH below pH 8.5 throughout my entire process.
My best guess, for what it is worth, is that using MagSil-PR to make water-clear distillate strips out too many of the naturally occurring antioxidants from my winterized heptane/saline-washed oil, which then results in oxidation and purple distillate. Is there a way to use MagSil-PR to get rid of some of the color in my winterized heptane/saline-washed oil without stripping out so much color that it then becomes prone to oxidation and turning purple?
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Aren’t some terpenes antioxidants too?
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Definitely. Some terpenes have high antioxidant potential.
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Ever try to add a drop of limonene to the solvent after it goes through the magsil?
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@Franklin I have not. Have you tried this and found it to solve my problem?
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No, I was just wondering if you’d tried it before. I’ve had the purple problem before too.
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You can also adjust your oil pH lower before passing through MagSilPR. The purple isn’t oxidation in the same way that cannabinoids sometimes turn purple when using methanol.
Swinging pH is a large part of the pesticide remediation method as different pesticides react to acidity/alkalinity differently with most reacting to alkaline conditions. Have you ever passed slightly acidic oil through magsil?
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What about 1st pass turning darker in heptane after going through silica?
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@Shadownaught
Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe I always pass acidified oil through the MagSil-PR column. My procedure goes like this:
Winterization/filtration
Rotovap to remove alcohol
Add n-heptane to oil
pH 6.5 heptane/saline washes
pH 4.5 heptane/saline washes
MagSil-PR column
pH 4.5 heptane/saline washes
pH 8 heptane/saline washes
pH 6.5 heptane/saline washes
Rotovap to remove heptane
It starts turning purple immediately after I release the rotovap vacuum, which leads me to believe the purple is a result of oxidation, heat, or (most likely) both. The purple color is fully developed within 2-5 minutes of the rotovap vacuum release.
Your thoughts?
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Does the purple color stay or dissipate over time? Hot oil definitely reacts with relative humidity much more strongly. Photon Noir knows a lot more about oxidative conversion of quinones, is what I think its called.
Another angle is the amount of pH buffering. If you are using more MagSilPR than the 2:1 oil:media ratio you might be buffering a much higher pH than you think.
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Glad to really see ya back and getting back into the technical stuff. Thanks for always supporting me and putting me in the position I’m in today.
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I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that has something to do with moisture absorption in the silica. Red is always gonna highlight pH change in a reactive compound or oxidation of things like heavy terps that come over with heads.
My thoughts on the ‘fools gold’ fraction is that it is fatty alcohol compounds, and those have to be thought of more like lipids. From Science Directly, “Oxidation of fatty alcohols may produce high value aldehydes, acids and esters , but is scarcely studied. … Our critical evaluation supports the feasibility of higher fatty alcohols selective oxidation by green processes. • Such processes may allow new routes to valued chemicals production from biomass.”
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You’ve been the homie from the jump, what a ride so far no?
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It’s been a crazy one. Thanks in a big part to you. I can’t wait to see what the future holds
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I do intend to lle it and adjust the ph that way and bring it more neutral. The silica did take out a lot of reds, when it first passed through it looked much better than going in. As I put it in the roto it darkened up a whole bunch. Silica did a better job on first pass than the clay did. I am going to scrub and lle my crude before 1st pass, then just single pass it in hopes of being over 90% and not need a second. This particular batch wasn’t fully winterized before and I let some heads through. Doing it to show my guys what happens when you run non winterized crude, in case it ever happens in the future.
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A further filtration aimed at polar compounds and a second pass should really show a difference.
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In my hands, the purple color does not dissipate over time.
You make a good point about how using too much MagSil-PR could drive the pH up too high. I will keep an eye on this in the future.
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Kill one, fuck one, marry one.
Megan Fox.
Margot Robbie.
Teyana Taylor.
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That’s a hard one. Literally! I wouldn’t kill any of the 3. Can I just fuck all 3??
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What a humble intro of yourself… been an amazing resource for my companies throughout the years, always been cool to watch your knowledge become SOP a few years later… always a wealth of knowledge. Guys, if lejen will take the time to educate you, have pen and paper ready, worth every penny
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