Making a tincture today. Currently boiling the ethanol off. Will post updates.
1 Like
The cost of ethanol is significantly high. I trust you are pursuing the process of ethanol recovery, rather than a mere evaporation, to optimize its usage and cost-effectiveness. Appreciate your contribution and wish you the best of luck.
More details would be cool as well if you find the time? =)
1 Like
I am not recovering the ethanol as its small scale and I could care less about the ethanol loss. Its currently “bubbling” right now and boiling off.
Just using a hotplate for this.
Should I be concerned about how hard it is boiling? Its my first time ever dabbling with something like this so I want to make sure I boil all of it off or at least as much as I can.
1 Like
Ethanol vapors are heavier than air and if it catches fire it burns clear. Be careful with that
6 Likes
Thanks. I have been concerned about that. Doing it outside and watching it carefully with a fire extinguisher next to me.
My old coworker had that happen to him once with gasoline and a heater in his work trailer. Blew up the trailer.
1 Like
I don’t intend to sound prescriptive, but this underscores the importance of having even a rudimentary solvent recapture system in place. This approach is superior not only from a cost-efficiency perspective but also in terms of safety. Rather than allowing the solvent to evaporate into the environment, it is channeled into a designated container.
It’s challenging to offer a comprehensive assessment without observing the process in real-time. It’s undoubtedly advisable to proceed with caution and prioritize safety. Your decision to seek guidance from experts, such as ky_cbd, is a prudent one.
(doing it outside is smart =) )
2 Likes
To determine when most of the ethanol has been boiled off from a liquid mixture, you can use several methods and observations:
Temperature Monitoring:
Ethanol has a lower boiling point than water (ethanol boils at around 78.37°C or 173.07°F at standard atmospheric pressure). You can use a thermometer to monitor the temperature of the mixture. When the temperature rises to around the boiling point of ethanol and remains relatively constant for an extended period, it indicates that most of the ethanol has evaporated. However, be cautious as other factors may affect the boiling point (elevation, impurities, etc.).
Visual Observation:
You can observe the visual characteristics of the liquid as it boils. Initially, it may appear to bubble vigorously and look like it’s boiling. As the ethanol content decreases, the boiling will become less intense, and the liquid will appear thicker. When the boiling has nearly ceased, you’re likely close to removing most of the ethanol.
Aroma and Odor:
Ethanol has a distinct and easily recognizable odor. As the ethanol evaporates, the smell of alcohol will become less pronounced. When the aroma diminishes significantly, it suggests that most of the ethanol has evaporated.
Hydrometer:
A hydrometer is a tool used to measure the specific gravity of a liquid. As ethanol has a lower specific gravity than water, you can use a hydrometer to measure the change in specific gravity over time. When the specific gravity stabilizes at the value for water (1.000), it indicates that most of the ethanol has evaporated.
Fractional Distillation:
If you require a precise separation of ethanol from a mixture, you can use fractional distillation, which is a laboratory technique that separates components based on their boiling points. In a fractional distillation setup, you can collect fractions of the distillate, and when the temperature begins to rise again, you’ve reached the point where the remaining liquid is mostly water.
3 Likes
Full disclosure I’m not sure you’re being safe with this procedure and I am hesitant to give too much advice…
But you’ll have a rough visual indication of when your moving from solvent recovery to decarboxylation once the bubbles go from really big to very small.
The big bubbles forming are typically solvents leaving solution the tiny bubbles are typically carbon dioxide i.e. into the decarb phase
4 Likes
Is this just a chat gpt response or did you intentionally format that to be a pain in the ass to read?
12 Likes
;__: I can’t win. lol.
What’s wrong with it?
And yeah, I’ve been using chapgpt to translate the weird way I speak to something more clearer for people’s from different backrounds then myself to better understand.
I literally type out my responses then just ask chatgpt to clean it up and format it better for me =) seems even chatgpt can’t help much with that -_- lol
I suck.
Oh, did I fix it? =D
1 Like
With the resources and tools I have, it wouldn’t at all be considered safe, so its as safe as one can be while doing a diy. So I appreciate the honesty about that. As my biggest question was when I know the ethanol has boiled off and my guess was when bubbling slows down.
When the ethanol boils off do I continue to boil the solution until it is decarbed? As I did not decarb my material beforehand. I am assuming yes based on your response.
Started with around 750mL of solution. Its now around 600mL after an hour or so.
What’s your end goal? An orally active tincture?
1 Like
Yes. My friend gave me some material to do it with. She wants me to make an orally active tincture.
Then you would want to decarb as well, then mix in the carrier while still warm
7 Likes
Didn’t even know I’d need a carrier. Appreciate that. What is the best carrier to use?
Going to use coconut (mct) oil. How much should i add?
1 Like
To calculate the ratio, you’ll need to know the concentration of the distillate and the desired dosage. Here’s a simplified example:
Let’s say you have a distillate with a concentration of 800 mg of active compound THC/CBD/ETC, per gram, and you want to make a 30 ml (1 ounce) tincture with a target potency of 10 mg of active compound per serving. You can calculate the amount of distillate and MCT oil as follows:
Determine the desired total amount of active compound in the 30 ml tincture:
10 mg/serving Ă— X servings = Total active compound (mg)
Calculate the amount of distillate needed:
Total active compound (mg) / Concentration of distillate (mg/g) = Grams of distillate needed
Calculate the amount of MCT oil needed:
Total volume (ml) - Volume of distillate (ml) = Volume of MCT oil (ml)
These should help you dial in were you need to be?
Also note: The solubility limit of THC in MCT oil is approximately 50 milligrams per milliliter (mg/ml) at room temperature. This means that, in theory, you can dissolve up to 50 mg of THC in each milliliter of MCT oil.
If you have 1 gram of MCT oil (which is equivalent to 1 milliliter), you can dissolve up to 50 milligrams of THC in it. So, to calculate how many grams of THC you can put into 1 gram of MCT oil, you can use the following calculation:
1 gram of MCT oil Ă— 50 mg of THC per milliliter = 50 mg of THC
1 Like
He at best has crude oil.
I’m not entirely sure about that. Do you have a source or experience with that?
It’s not equivalent. Its close enough for personal use I guess though?
4 Likes
1: Well that makes it harder but I’m sure you can make a well enough product with available info?
2: And yes my friend, it is just referring to the maximum amount of THC you can infuse into MCT oil. So if you tried to dissolve 100mg into 50ml it would only be able to theoretically adsorb 50mg of that 100mg before the MCT oil becomes fully saturated.
3: Yes, VERY close.:
- H20- The density of water at around 20°C (68°F) is approximately 0.9982 g/cm³ or 998.2 kg/m³. Water has a relatively high density, and it is often used as a reference point for comparing the densities of other substances.
- MCT OIL- The density of MCT oil can vary slightly depending on factors such as temperature and the specific type of MCT oil used. However, it is generally less dense than water. The density of MCT oil is typically in the range of 0.95 to 0.96 g/cmÂł or 950 to 960 kg/mÂł.
As we compare these figures we can see the density of both liquids are very close, and considering we don’t even truly know our starting products MG quantities, should be more then ample for at home use. =) or eye balling. As we say. ;p
Please also note for that THC absorption thing, that’s like perfect THEORETICAL absorption, so I’d plan for a few MGs below that personally as well?(which I know maybe hard not knowing the starting mats, but, again, eye ball? ;p)
Gotta chill with the chat geppetto bro
Where did you get that figure for THC solubility in MCT oil? THC is extremely soluble in MCT oil, 1:1 mixtures of THC and MCT are very stable.
6 Likes