Source: Skunk
Pharm Research,LLC.
Stop! NOTE THIS DISCLAIMER:
Do not attempt this procedure
if you are not qualified or without the proper Chemical fume hood and proper personal protection
equipment.
Sulfuric acid is highly corrosive, and Acetic
anhydride is not only highly corrosive,
but as flammable and explosive as gasoline. Not to
mention Hexane is highly flammable and explosive! You should read,
understand, and have ready a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for all
chemicals you have.
We neither recommend this procedure or accept any
responsibility if you elect to try it yourself.
Read Alcohol or Naphtha at the bottom of this Hexane article
Ever thought of using N-Hexane for
extraction for alchemy? At the skunk pharm they use an HPLC
reagent grade hexane, which they acquire from a local scientific supply store, for a number of things.
 Like butane, hexane is a simple alkane, but it has two more carbon atoms and four more hydrogen’s, which makes it completely insoluble in
water.
Pentane, with five carbons in the chain, is the first completely
insoluble alkane.
It’s longer chain gives it a higher specific gravity and higher boiling
point than butane.
Hexane boils at 69C/156.2F, versus -0.6C/30.9F for butane,
which makes it more difficult to purge.
It can be purged under heat and vacuum using thin film techniques, or
simply washed in ethanol, which boils at 78C/172.4F.
Our sensory perception threshold for hexane is 30 ppm and OSHA TWA
limits for breathing it 8 hours, is 500 ppm, so we can detect its
gasoline like taste far below TLV.
Hexane is commonly used to produce pharmaceuticals and even food
products, and is not Mother’s Milk, but the point is moot, as it is not
left in amounts that are toxic.
There is a difference between trace amounts and toxic doses, because
poison is in the dosage. Even Oxygen is a toxin at over 75% atmosphere
and you are just as dead as from an over dose of any substance.
So what are the facts about hexane? One is that if hexane is present at
levels as low as 30 ppm, it tastes exactly like gasoline.
Since concern starts at 250 ppm for chronic and nearly continuous
exposure, our senses are adequate to protect us from exposure to toxic
levels.
So lets see what the governing authorities think about it, while paying
attention to how the dosage rates compare to levels less than 30 parts
per millionth:
SECTION 11 – TOXICOLOGICAL INFORMATION
CAS# 110-54-3: MN9275000
LD50/LC50:
CAS# 110-54-3:
Draize test, rabbit, eye: 10 mg Mild;
Inhalation, mouse: LC50 = 150000 mg/m3/2H;
Inhalation, rat: LC50 = 48000 ppm/4H;
Inhalation, rat: LC50 = 627000 mg/m3/3M;
Oral, rat: LD50 = 25 gm/kg;
Carcinogenicity:
CAS# 110-54-3: Not listed by ACGIH, IARC, NTP, or CA Prop 65.
Epidemiology: Occupational polyneuropathy has resulted from
hexane exposures as low as 500 ppm, but the minimum levels of n-hexane
that are neurotoxic in humans haven’t been established.
Nearly continuous exposure of animals at 250 ppm has caused
neurotoxic effects.
Teratogenicity: No evidence of teratogenicity or
embryotoxicity in anmial studies with hexane.
Fetotoxicity has been observed in the presence of maternal
toxicity.
Reproductive Effects: Severe testicular damage has been
observed in rats exposed to hexane at concentrations which have
produced other significant toxicity.
Although sub-neuro toxic doses of its principle toxic
metabolite, 2,5-hexanedione, can induce progressive testicular toxicity
in rats, there have been no reports of human sterility or other
reproductive toxicity associated with n-hexane exposures.
Mutagenicity: Positive results (chromosomal damage in the bone
marrow cells) obtained for rats exposed by inhalation to n-hexane.
Neurotoxicity: n-Hexane is a mild irritant and CNS depressant
in acute exposure, but its principal effects are damage to the sensory
and motor peripheral nerves, particularly in chronic exposure.
Moving to ease of use, because of its insolubility in water, you can
soak plant material in hexane without picking up water solubles.
I have soaked as long as 12 hours.
Using hexane requires close attention to safety issues, as it is
highly flammable and even lower explosive limits than butane
when used in an unventilated area.
Hexane’s lower explosive limits is 1.2% of atmosphere, and its
upper explosive limits are 7.7, as compared to lower limits of 3.3% for
ethanol and 1.8% for butane. Except for well ventilated lab
conditions, hexane extraction and alchemy is best done outdoors, with a
fan blowing away and dispersing the vapors as they are given off.
Pentane and Hexane are the components of light naphtha,
or white gasoline, and should be treated with the same care
and respect.
Needless to say that it a no smoking or toking activity, so leave
the lighter and smokes out of reach, lest you reach for them
automatically.
Besides open flame, static sparks can ignite the
fumes, so don’t do hexane extractions wearing plastic clothes,
especially on cold dry days.
Using glass wear to contain highly flammable liquids carries
drop and splash dangers, which I am going to draw your attention to,
but confess that I routinely use lab glass wear with flammables in it
and that the hexane itself usually comes in a glass jug.
A stainless steel container for the soak portion of the process,
could achieve the same effects however, without the same breakage
danger.
Ambient temperature is important, and hexane has a relatively high
vapor pressure of 151 mm Hg @ 25C/77F, so it is important to
keep the mixture relatively cool for long soaks or use a vented
container to control pressure buildup.
We use hexane for both extraction and cannabis alchemy. Because it is
relatively expensive, it is usually more cost effective to do the
initial extraction with another less expensive solvent and use a lesser
volume of hexane to polish it afterwards.
For
extraction simply fill a jar about 2/3rd full of material that we
have broken up to about coarse rolling size, and fill the jar to the
3/4 level with hexane. Shake well, loosen the lid to release the
pressure, seal it again, and set aside. Periodically repeat the
shake and pressure relief steps, for up to 12 hours.
At the end of the soak, pour the mixture in a strainer, and
press the material to force as much hexane out of the plant material as
possible. Then filter through a coffee filter or vacuum filter using a
Wattman # 1.
You can do the initial purge of the hexane by simply setting
it aside in a pie plate to evaporate, and can speed that up by setting
the pie plate in hot water and blowing air over it, if you aren’t in a
dusty setting
You can also boil off the hexane in a double boiler,
with either hot water or hot oil as the medium in the pot, and can
speed that up with vacuum. See attached pictures of thin film vacuum
purging, as well as a ghetto rig in a fruit jar:
That brings us back to final purge, and as noted above, if you
don’t have vacuum equipment, final purging can also be done by washing
in ethanol. Washing is done by re-dissolving the raw HHO in ethanol and
boiling the ethanol off. The higher boiling point of the ethanol and
the scrubbing action of the alcohol molecules boiling off, will take
the remaining hexane molecules with it, while keeping the process
temperature below 173F.
Re-dissolving in ethanol also allows the interim step of
winterizing, by which you place the ethanol HHO mixture in the freezer
for a couple of days until the waxes coagulate and can be filtered out,
before evaporating away the alcohol.
While it can be used for extractions, where hexane really
shines, is cannabis alchemy. For instance, you can extract the cannabinoids
with ISO, Methanol, or Denatured alcohol and after reducing the volume
of the alcohol through evaporation, when it reaches a convenient and
economical handling volume, mix it with equal parts of hexane and super
saturated salt water.
If you agitate that and place it in a separatory funnel to separate, the hexane will
rise to the top with the cannabinoids and the water and alcohol mixture
will sink to the bottom, where they can be bled off.
Lastly, use hexane to isomerize
or make cannabis acetate. That involves reflux boiling the
hexane cannabis oil mixture in sulfuric acid, or acetic anhydride.
Stop! NOTE THIS DISCLAIMER:
Do not attempt this procedure
if you are not qualified or without the proper Chemical fume hood and proper personal protection
equipment.
Sulfuric acid is highly corrosive, and Acetic
anhydride is not only highly corrosive,
but as flammable and explosive as gasoline. Not to
mention Hexane is highly flammable and explosive! You should read,
understand, and have ready a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for all
chemicals you have.
We neither recommend this procedure or accept any
responsibility if you elect to try it yourself.
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The Multilayered Bonded Carbon Filter provides effective containment of
toxic vapors, gases, and fumes while minimizing potential exposure to
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Alcohol or Naphtha
Full Extract Cannabis Oil, the healer of disease, the Kryptonite to
Cancers, the holy grail of natural medicine. This substance is highly revered
by many and made by few; it is a form of rebellion to take to the calling of oil
alchemy due to its high illegality globally.
 There are many oil artisans in the modern U.S. Cannabis community;
each maker has their own beliefs, processes and end results. Some oil producers
believe whole-heartedly in the classical process of using ethanol alcohol to
extract botanical essential oils.
Others believe in using Naphtha as a solvent,
as the most well-known purveyor of this oil chose Naphtha as his choice in
solvents. There is many how to videos to be found on the web, and one quickly
finds that many of these videos may not necessarily be of sound advice or
method.
To gain a better understanding of how Full Extract Cannabis oil is
made, please visit the links below. This will help you understand the
processes used to make a highly medicinal Cannabis extract oil.
How To Make Cannabis Oil-
Cure Your Own Cancer-
When our family turned to the oil to fight childhood cancer (T-Cell ALL) we found ourselves
with the same solvent choice to be made: Naphtha or Ethanol? I poured over many
articles and research projects on each method, asking many questions to people
who were more experienced than I, professionals, chemists, lab analysts, oil
makers and even a couple of doctors. Through all of my research and discovery I
came to a conclusion. Before I share my conclusion, let’s look at what I
learned:
What is a hydrocarbon?
This is the basic Wikipedia definition of
a hydrocarbon:
“In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely
of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons from which one hydrogen atom has been
removed are functional groups, called hydrocarbyls. Aromatic hydrocarbons
(arenes), alkanes, alkenes, cycloalkanes and alkyne-based compounds are different
types of hydrocarbons.The majority of hydrocarbons found on earth naturally
occur in crude oil, where decomposed organic matter provides an abundance of
carbon and hydrogen which, when bonded, can catenate to form seemingly
limitless chains.”
When it comes to Hydrocarbons, the simplest and most relatively non-toxic
hydrocarbons are straight chain or Alkanes. GRAS (Generally regarded as safe) alkanes
(mostly non-toxic) are: Methane CH4, Ethane C2H6, Propane C3H8, n-butane C4H10,
n-pentane C5H12 and n-hexane C6H14.
·
Methane [1C] and ethane [2C] are gaseous at
ambient temperatures and cannot be liquefied by pressure alone.
·
Propane [3C] is however easily liquefied, and
exists in 'propane bottles' mostly as a liquid.
·
Butane [4C] is so easily liquefied that it
provides a safe, volatile fuel for small pocket lighters.
·
Pentane [5C] is a clear liquid at room
temperature, commonly used in chemistry and industry as a powerful nearly
odorless solvent of waxes and high molecular weight organic compounds,
including greases.
·
Hexane [6C] is a broadly used non-polar,
non-aromatic solvent, as well as a significant element in common gasoline.
·
The [6C] through [10C] alkanes, alkenes and
isomeric cycloalkanes are the top components of gasoline, naphtha, jet fuel and
specialized industrial solvent mixtures.
 Therefore C-5 or lower hydrocarbons are best and most non-toxic
solvents for extraction. There seems to be some controversy as to whether C-5
or C-6 is the peak before toxic hydrocarbon chains have been established.
I learned that Naphtha is a muddled combination of
hydrocarbons derived from crude petroleum in the range of C4-C11. C11? This may sound
confusing at first, but basically that means Naphtha can have any hydrocarbons
rated from C4 (butane) to C11(Undecane)
When extracting Cannabis with a solvent, one must “boil-off” or cause the
solvent precipitate out of the mixture using temperature and agitation.
For example, Butane has a boiling point of 30.2 deg F. This
means that if you extracted cannabinoids with butane, it would precipitate out
of the mixture after the temperature surpasses 30.2 degrees, leaving the
extracted cannabinoids intact. THC has a boiling point of 314.6 deg F. this
allows for the use of solvents in extractions that do not surpass the boiling
point of 300 degrees. The last hydrocarbon with a boiling point of <300 deg
is Octane (C8) at 257 deg F. Anything higher than a C8 hydrocarbon would not be
allowed to precipitate out of the mixture without destroying the
ultra-important Cannabinoids.
Simple Hydrocarbons
and Boiling Points:
Carbon
Atoms Alkane Boiling Point Deg.
F.
1
Methane -263.2
 2
Ethane -128.2
3
Propane -43.6
4
Butane 30.2
5
Pentane 96.98
6
Hexane 154.4
7
Heptane 209.2
8
Octane
257
9
Nonane
303.8
10
Decane
345.4
11
Undecane
384.8
Essentially, not being able to surpass the boiling point of THC to remove all hydrocarbons, leaves a high
risk of residual hydrocarbons in the final oil product. The hydrocarbons that
would be found would be partially precipitated hydrocarbons as well as possible
Nonane, Decane and Undecane. These are toxic, carcinogenic, and mutagenic compounds
that should not be present in any patients Cannabis essential oil.
How is ethanol
alcohol safer?
 Ethanol (C 2H 5OH) or ethyl alcohol at its most basic, is
grain alcohol, produced by fermentation of food crops such as corn. It is the
only type of alcohol that is safe to ingest, and then only if it has not been
denatured (additives mixed in). Other types of alcohol include methanol (methyl
alcohol) and isopropanol (rubbing alcohol or isopropyl alcohol).
'Alcohol' refers to
any chemical having an -OH (oxygen/hydrogen) functional group. Hydroxyl groups (-OH), found in
alcohols, are polar and therefore hydrophilic (water loving) but their carbon
chain is non-polar which make them hydrophobic. The molecule progressively
becomes more nonpolar and therefore less soluble in the polar water as the
carbon chain becomes longer.
Alcohols have applications in industry and science as solvents.
Because of its relatively low toxicity compared with other alcohols and ability
to dissolve non-polar substances, ethanol is a desirable solvent in deriving
pharmaceutical compounds, perfumes, and botanical essences such as vanilla. In
organic fusion, alcohols serve as versatile intermediates.
Ethanol is present as an endogenous substance in the blood of humans, generally
produced in the intestinal tract due to consumption of grain and yeast bearing
food sources. Ethanol is not classified as a carcinogen, but rather a precursor
carcinogen. Alcohol turns to acetaldehyde when metabolized by the liver after
consumption; acetaldehyde is the carcinogen.
The boiling point of Ethanol alcohol is 173.1 degrees F. this allows for the
removal of all residual alcohol from the extract medium during the
precipitation process while leaving all cannabinoids intact and fully
decarboxylated.
Based upon what I have learned, and where the research has taken me, I have
chosen Ethanol alcohol as my solvent of choice, for reasons of safety, efficacy
and low toxicity, when it comes to extracting botanical constituents from the
Cannabis plant. I feel that the use of Naphtha as a solvent as unnecessary and
extremely risky. You cannot fight cancer with carcinogens.
CannaDad
Cannabinoid Boiling
Points:
Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
 Boiling point: 157*C / 314.6 degree Fahrenheit
Properties: Euphoriant, Analgesic, Antiinflammatory, Antioxidant, Antiemetic
Antibiotic Anticancer
Cannabidiol (CBD)
Boiling point: 160-180*C / 320-356 degree Fahrenheit
Properties: Anxiolytic, Analgesic, Antipsychotic, Antiinflammatory,
Antioxidant, Antispasmodic
Cannabinol (CBN)
Boiling point: 185*C / 365 degree Fahrenheit
Properties: Oxidation, breakdown, product, Sedative, Antibiotic
cannabichromene (CBC)
Boiling point: 220*C / 428 degree Fahrenheit
Properties: Antiinflammatory, Antibiotic, Antifungal
cannabigerol (CBG)
Boiling point: MP52
Properties: Antiinflammatory, Antibiotic, Antifungal
Δ-8-tetrahydrocannabinol (?-8-THC)
Boiling point: 175-178*C / 347-352.4 degree Fahrenheit
Properties: Resembles ?-9-THC, Less psychoactive, More stable Antiemetic
tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV)
Boiling point: < 220*C / <428 degree Fahrenheit
Properties: Analgesic, Euphoriant
Terpenoid essential oils, their boiling points, and properties
ß-myrcene
 Boiling point: 166-168*C / 330.8-334.4 degree Fahrenheit
Properties: Analgesic. Antiinflammatory, Antibiotic, Antimutagenic
ß-caryophyllene
Boiling point: 119*C / 246.2 degree Fahrenheit
Properties: Antiinflammatory, Cytoprotective (gastric mucosa), Antimalarial
d-limonene
Boiling point: 177*C / 350.6 degree Fahrenheit
Properties: Cannabinoid agonist?, Immune potentiator, Antidepressant,
Antimutagenic
linalool
Boiling point: 198*C / 388.4 degree Fahrenheit
Properties: Sedative, Antidepressant, Anxiolytic, Immune potentiator
pulegone
Boiling point: 224*C / 435.2 degree Fahrenheit
Properties: Memory booster?, AChE inhibitor, Sedative, Antipyretic
1,8-cineole (eucalyptol)
Boiling point: 176*C / 348.8 degree Fahrenheit
Properties: AChE inhibitor, Increases cerebral, blood flow, Stimulant,
Antibiotic, Antiviral, Antiinflammatory, Antinociceptive
a-pinene
Boiling point: 156*C / 312.8 degree Fahrenheit
Properties: Antiinflammatory, Bronchodilator, Stimulant, Antibiotic,
Antineoplastic, AChE inhibitor
a-terpineol
Boiling point: 217-218*C / 422.6-424.4 degree Fahrenheit
Properties: Sedative, Antibiotic, AChE inhibitor, Antioxidant, Antimalarial
terpineol-4-ol
Boiling point: 209*C / 408.2 degree Fahrenheit
Properties: AChE inhibitor. Antibiotic
p-cymene
Boiling point: 177*C / 350.6 degree Fahrenheit
Properties: Antibiotic, Anticandidal, AChE inhibitor
Flavonoid and phytosterol components, their boiling points, and properties
 apigenin
Boiling point: 178*C / 352.4 degree Fahrenheit
Properties: Anxiolytic, Antiinflammatory, Estrogenic
quercetin
Boiling point: 250*C / 482 degree Fahrenheit
Properties: Antioxidant, Antimutagenic, Antiviral, Antineoplastic
cannflavin A
Boiling point: 182*C / 359.6 degree Fahrenheit
Properties: COX inhibitor, LO inhibitor
ß-sitosterol
Boiling point: 134*C / 273.2 degree Fahrenheit
Properties: Antiinflammatory, 5-a-reductase, inhibitor
Please Remember that the "lesser known" Cannabinoids as well as the
"other" compounds found in Cannabis have an entourage effect that causes
them to work symbiotically together.
Meanwhile
|
Get
this Widget
Pot has been known to cause the munchies, but could it really have
triggered Eugene's frenzied, near-fatal biting attack on the face of
fellow homeless man Ronald Poppo? At the time of the May 26 attack,
doctors said Eugene exhibited "paranoid delirium," a hyperexcited state
induced when a drug overdose increases the body's concentration of
adrenalinelike hormones, essentially sending survival instincts into
overdrive.
