Distilling Calamus Oil

DrugPhreak · Working Bee

I'm interested in hearing what temp other bees asarone comes over when using an aspirator with medium water flow and an oil bath. I'm not sure what my aspirator can pull. Would distilling it above 12 torr cause a problem?

QuickFitAbuser · Quality Control

Are you distilling the purified oil, or distilling Calamus oil?
I know that pure b-asarone boils at 296 deg C (MERCK 12th) so you would need some strong, low pressure pump.
Where as Calamus oil is about, typically (European sample) acorenone 8.0% b-gurjunene 6.7% isohyobunone 6.2% b-asarone 5.2% calamendiol 3.8% a-selinene 3.8% a-calacorene 3.5% calamusenone 3.2% camphone 3.2% shyobunone 2.6%. Once again, merck could give boiling points of these compounds. I dunno, I think I am jealous that you have enough precursors to wanna distill it.

Ex_Hive_bee · Fri Apr 01, 2005 1:19 pm

So DP, are you using pure b-asarone or are you tring to to extract as much b-asarone outta your Calamus oil as you can?
If it were me or SWIM and I was trying to get as much of the asarone outta the calamus oil as possible, I would check up on the BP's of the componds in calamus oil as give by the 'Quick FitAbuser' and set up for a fractional dist with a good hard vacumn (low pressure high Hg) and go about the job really slowly preferebly using a pig and keeping all the seperate liquids that come over.
Also make sure you do this in a well ventillated area with gloves as unfortunately, this lovely TMA-2 precursor is also considered to be highly carcinogenic.
Good luck with the frac Distil

DrugPhreak · Working Bee

Yep, it's Indian Calamus oil. I was thinking about fractional vacuum distilling... emptying all the minor fractions as they come over and then freezing out the trans-asarone instead of beforehand. Anyone ever try that? I have ruled out using an aspirator... I doubt it would be of any use here. I'm in the process of getting a vacuum pump. Ummm... you can't get Calamus oil where you are? I don't think it's controlled anywhere... maybe in Oz? I doubt there will be much focus on TMA-2.

DjTime · Chemical Dj

I just read of a guy that did the same thing and just puked like crazy when consumed so maybe you should look more into this homie...... Peace Out

Rumpelstilskin · Mon Apr 11, 2005 6:27 pm

The largest fraction (80-90%) of good quality indian calamus oil should come over at around 140-150C @ strong VAC. My pump is rated at 0.1 Torr and this is where it comes over.

There is absolutely no chance of distilling this stuff with asp vacuum.

DrugPhreak · Working Bee

Thanks for the confirmation Rumpelstilskin. Smile

I can't wait till my vac gets here. Cool

It can only pull like 27" Hg though. Sad

nyarlothotep · Tue Apr 12, 2005 4:18 am

SWIN can get something hovering just over 28" with a decent pump and an aspirator station.
The coldness of the water really helps.

He would also suggest SWIDP look into some of the more heavy duty evacuation pumps for AC.....as he's seen models that are rated down to microns Shocked

Running under 200 by people who don't know what they have.....once saw one rated down to 10 microns that went for 40 FREAKIN DOLLARS!!!!
He only wishs he had acted before work instead of after.....
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