Topic: Safrole Extraction

[Myron]

What is the easiest way of getting safrole? Buying it? Extracting it from Camphor Oil? Sasafrass Oil? Nutmeg?
Has anybody done any of these?

[The_MadScientist]

Take 1 pound of ground nutmeg (older is better because it converts to safrole as it sits). pulverize it with a hammer to release the oils.  Then, put it in a gallon ziploc bag, and pour in 2 cups of naptha, half cup of lemon juice, 2 cups boiling hot water, 3 teaspoons of baking soda, 1 teaspoon canola oil, and a pinch of salt.  Let it sit in the sun on a hot day for a good 3 or 4 hours (sunlight is key).  Then, lift it carefully without it sloshing at all.  IF IT SLOSHES IT WONT WORK!!!  The top layer will have the good stuff in it, just evap and ur ready.

You can do more than a pound at a time, but make sure you let it sit in the sun extra long, or it wont work.

[ST1R]

You forgot a half cup of bleach 

[biochemist]

that's a good method but my personal tek uses regular room temperature water because adding the super hot water right away will expedite the safrole reaction, so when you let it sit in the sun it will have partially already reacted and not be as good.

[Highdeologist]

On a none to dissimilar topic is it possible to cram a 2 litre coke bottle with the desired psi in order to oxidize isosafrole 2 mdp2p? or will it blow? Also am I right in thinking that the desired psi is 35? theoretically obviously.

[pharmanimal78]

You could get Vanillin or Eugenol in bulk for dirt cheap and convert..... Elemicin or Piperonal perhaps?

Look man, if you have to ask this question, you haven't done your due research...

http://www.erowid.org/archive/rhodium/chemistry/index.html

On a none to dissimilar topic is it possible to cram a 2 litre coke bottle with the desired psi in order to oxidize isosafrole 2 mdp2p? or will it blow? Also am I right in thinking that the desired psi is 35? theoretically obviously.

Yes, the Wacker KRV has been used to some success at 40 - 45 psi according to Spiceboy but more info is available at the Rhodium archives.
http://www.psychonaut.com/index.php?option=com_forum&Itemid=11&page=viewtopic&t=27379&sid=26b00be6f8f109d860713d2633fd553c&lang=nl

The thing is, it seems your safrole must be ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY pure to begin with and for Chrissakes DON'T shake your KRV with a fucking stir bar! It pokes at the walls of your already pressurized vessel, sometimes causing explosion...

Use Raschig rings or similar maybe? Low density, high surface area and distributed mass. Better idea by far, yes?

[Myron]

Wow, that sounds easy. Thanks!

I have several doubts though...
- How much safrole is produced? I made a rough calculation of about 1.8 grams/ pound of nutmeg but that might be wrong.
- What type of naphtha am I supposed to use? A regular Coleman fuel or Zippo lighter refill will do?
- Is there a substitute for Canola Oil? I'm not from the states and Canola oil is not common in my country; maybe sunflower, soybean or rice bran oil could work?
- 'The top layer will have the good stuff in it, just evap and you're ready' Could you be more specific? What should you evap? The top layer or the rest? How?

Thanks

[The_MadScientist]

1. The amount of safrole varies on the batch.  You add most of the stuff to convert the other oils into safrole (there are a bunch that are similar and this makes them all stay in the safrole form)  I have heard that the half cup of bleach helps, but i havent tried it, so yeah.  I usually get somewhere between 2 and 5 grams, but on a really good batch I have gotten 8.64g.  It has to do with the length of sunlight, but i havent really figured it out.  If you do this, record length of sunlight and temperature of hot water, cuz that will change the reaction.

2. I have only used naptha that says 'NAPTHA" on the bottle, so up to your discretion.  I dont know what are in those things.

3. The oil should be as light as possible, with a slight yellow tinge so it has the proper amino acids in it.  Corn Oil would probably be my second choice, but soybean should work.

4.  Make a separatory funnel by snipping off the bottom corner of a ziploc bag and letting the stuff drain out until the top layer.  Let a tiny bit of the top layer go through so you know that its pure.  You can add water (NOT COLD) and do it multiple times if it doesnt look clean enough yet. then put it in a shallow dish, and wait until it is done evaporating.  a fan will make it go faster.

[tryp2fun]

I am very skeptical of this procedure.  For one thing, safrole is present in nutmeg in rather small amounts, as seen in the table below:
compound        substitutions                    concentration
--------        -------------                    -------------
myristicin      3-methoxy, 4,5-methylenedioxy    4.0%
safrole         3,4-methylenedioxy               0.6%
eugenol         3-methoxy, 4-hydroxyl            0.2%
elemicin        3,4,5-trimethoxy                 *
methyleugenol   3,4-dimethoxy                    *

0.6% saffrole in nutmeg corresponds to 6 g/kg, or about 2.7 g/lb.  There is considerably  more myristicin, 40 g/kg, or about 18 g/lb.  There is no magic ingredient that will convert the other compounds to safrole.  In fact, there is no single step chemical process by which any of these could be converted to safrole.

[ST1R]

Shhhhh!
Not without two sticks of butter and some yellow #5 food dye.

[pylkko]

The easiest way to get some of these interesting essential oils would be distillation I bet (if you had the money to buy the equiptment). Unless you are able to buy them directly.

[DrYRHead]

I am very skeptical of this procedure.  For one thing, safrole is present in nutmeg in rather small amounts, as seen in the table below:
compound        substitutions                    concentration
--------        -------------                    -------------
myristicin      3-methoxy, 4,5-methylenedioxy    4.0%
safrole         3,4-methylenedioxy               0.6%
eugenol         3-methoxy, 4-hydroxyl            0.2%
elemicin        3,4,5-trimethoxy                 *
methyleugenol   3,4-dimethoxy                    *

0.6% saffrole in nutmeg corresponds to 6 g/kg, or about 2.7 g/lb.  There is considerably  more myristicin, 40 g/kg, or about 18 g/lb.  There is no magic ingredient that will convert the other compounds to safrole.  In fact, there is no single step chemical process by which any of these could be converted to safrole.

Yes, one would think that sassafras oil to have been the best bet.

[daytripper1984]

cant you extract it from a escarole tree?  thats where they get sassafras for making root beer.

[tryp2fun]

cant you extract it from a escarole tree?  thats where they get sassafras for making root beer.

I think you mean a sassafras tree.  Escarole is a green leafy vegetable.

[daytripper1984]

i dont even remember typing escarol?! i think i was tipsy when i wrote that.  I meant sassafras. lol