Conversion Guide: HCl Salt to Freebase for Educational Insight

[shree]

READ THIS FIRST!

#### Tips for Improved Safety and Efficacy:


- Use the MINIMAL necessary amount of water to simplify the process.
- AVOID EXCESSIVE HEAT to prevent the degradation/burning of HCl salt and maintain potency.
- Conduct this process in a well-ventilated area to minimize exposure to potentially harmful fumes.
- Keeping experiments on a small scale is recommended for safety and accuracy.
- Aim for larger clumps during collection for easier handling.



#### Required Materials:
- HCl salt
- Sodium Carbonate (NOT baking soda)
- Toothpick for mixing
- Soup Spoon as a mixing vessel
- Candle for controlled heating

#### Recommended Ratio:

Use a 4:1 ratio of HCl salt to Sodium Carbonate. For example, combine 40mg of the HCl salt with 10mg of Sodium Carbonate.

#### Step-by-Step Process:
1. **Weighing the HCl Salt**: Accurately weigh the HCl salt needed. (I suggest using Micro Scoops.) For instance, 40mg.

2. **Placing the HCl Salt**: Place the weighed HCl salt in the center of the spoon.

3. **Measuring Sodium Carbonate**: Weigh out the Sodium Carbonate precisely. Use 10mg to match the earlier example.

4. **Mixing the Components**: Mix the Sodium Carbonate and HCl salt together on the spoon with a toothpick.

5. **Preparing for Heating**: Light the candle, but wait before placing the spoon over the flame.

6. **Adding Water**: Add ONE or TWO drops of water to the spoon, avoiding direct contact with the mixture initially.

7. **Incorporating Water**: Use the toothpick to gently mix the water into the chemical mixture.

8. **Controlled Heating**: Hold the spoon above the candle flame, stirring continuously. Remove from heat when the mixture begins to foam, but keep stirring.

(Do not let it evaporate! I actually got slightly high during this process.) Repeat the process until you achieve a paste-like consistency.

9. **Observing the final product** The finished product should be a moist, tan, clumpy powder, similar in texture to wet brown sugar, with minimal oily residue.

10. **Drying the Freebase**: Spread the freebase powder on paper to dry. It will remain somewhat sticky.

11. **Final Analysis**: After drying, the freebase is ready for further examination.

12. **Storage Recommendations**: Store the freebase in a silicone/glass/plastic container.



 

Edited March 3 by shree

[shree]

After an extensive search online and going through numerous vague instructions on converting HCl to freebase, plus conducting a few personal experiments, I've managed to successfully complete the conversion. I feel compelled to share a clear set of instructions based on my experience, hoping it might help others looking for concise guidance on this process.

I want to clarify that I'm not a chemist, and my knowledge on this topic is quite limited. My journey into this was driven by curiosity and the need for clearer information than what I found available. Given this, I welcome feedback, especially from those with a deeper understanding of the subject.

@Girzo, your insights seem particularly valuable, and I would greatly appreciate your review and comments on this method. If there are any errors or areas for improvement, please do not hesitate to point them out.

Looking forward to your feedback and hoping this contributes to a better understanding for all interested.

 

 

Additionally, I conducted a personal test to assess the results of my conversion, focusing on taste and smell, comparing them to Freebase 5MeO. The outcome was positive; it had the normal taste and smell associated with Freebase 5MeO-DMT. Notably, I didn't experience any unpleasant taste in my throat afterwards, unlike my experiences with vaping HCl directly.

However, I want to caution that, despite my positive personal experience, I cannot guarantee the purity of the substance post-conversion. Therefore, I recommend using a bubbler with your vaporizer to add an extra layer of filtration. This is a precaution I suggest until the purity can be accurately determined.

 

Thanks for reading

Edited March 3 by shree

[OBEler]

Thanks for this incredible research! I will share this thread to all wo need it.

[Lynx]

Thank you

[halfknots]

Store freebase in glass only. It is highly basic and highly reactive, and will react with plastic.

[shree]

@halfknots 

Thanks.

I edited the first post.

Edited March 7 by shree

[OBEler]

Some additional things to consider from ChatGPT:

 

For chemical reactions, especially for converting a salt into its freebase form, it's crucial to use distilled water. Distilled water is free from ions and organic contaminants that could affect the reaction. This ensures the reaction proceeds as smoothly as possible without creating unwanted byproducts.

### Separating the Freebase Form

After the reaction, the freebase form might be present in a solid state that needs to be separated from the aqueous solution. Here are common methods:

1. **Filtration**: If the freebase form precipitates as a solid, simple filtration can be used to separate the solid from the liquid phase. This can be done using a Büchner funnel and a vacuum pump for more efficient filtration or a simple paper filter combined with a funnel.

2. **Drying**: After filtration, the solid residue should be dried to remove excess water. This can be done in air or in a drying oven at low temperatures to avoid damaging the substance.

3. **Solvent Extraction (optional)**: If the freebase remains dissolved in the aqueous phase or to increase the purity of the isolated freebase, solvent extraction might be useful. An organic solvent that is immiscible with water (e.g., diethyl ether, chloroform, or hexane) is used to extract the freebase form. After mixing and separating the phases, the organic solvent, which contains the freebase, can be separated and evaporated to yield the pure substance.

It's important to emphasize that all these steps should be conducted considering safety precautions and using appropriate personal protective equipment. Working with chemicals requires adequate training and an understanding of the materials and processes to ensure safety and achieve successful outcomes.

Edited March 11 by OBEler

[OBEler]

ChatGPT: 

Adding to the already detailed safety and procedural considerations, here are further steps to ensure the conversion process is as safe and effective as possible:

  
- **Temperature Monitoring**: Use a thermometer to monitor the temperature of your mixture when heating. This can help prevent overheating and ensure the process stays within safe temperature ranges.

- **pH Testing**: If possible, test the pH of the final product to ensure complete neutralization has occurred. This step is crucial for confirming that no residual acidic or basic reactants remain, which could affect the purity and safety of the final product.

- **Batch Testing**: If you're planning multiple conversions, consider conducting a small-scale test batch first. This allows you to refine your technique and correct any procedural issues without wasting materials.

- **Quality Control of Starting Materials**: Verify the purity and quality of your starting materials. Impurities in the HCl salt or sodium carbonate can lead to unpredictable results or reduce the efficacy of the final product.

- **Post-Processing Purification**: Consider additional purification steps after conversion, such as washing the final product with a solvent in which the freebase is insoluble but impurities are soluble, followed by filtration and drying. This step can help remove any residual sodium carbonate or other impurities.

- **Documentation**: Keep detailed records of your process, including amounts used, conditions (temperature, time), and observations. This can be invaluable for troubleshooting, improving future conversions, and ensuring reproducibility.

 

[shree]

@OBElerFeeding ChatGPT with relevant data before asking it to generate a response is invaluable.

 

I aimed to keep the guide as concise and clear as possible. Adding more information could unnecessarily complicate it.

 

There are additional steps that could be mentioned, such as purifying it from sodium carbonate, but until I successfully test this myself, I will not add it to my topic.

[OBEler]

@shree yeah you at right, it can be then too  complicated. 

My question would be how you can be absolutely sure to get rid off sodium carbonate so that there is no possibility of harming me through smoking this freebase substance.

[maxpechura]

Hello fellas
So I tried the method that Shree has outlined above and as far as I can tell it worked.

I started with this malt salt:

Added sodium carbonate and a couple of drops of water and put flame to the spoon.

The malt didn't as much boil as it fumed:

malt sodium carbonate fuming.mp4
 

Final product:

If you don't want sodium carbonate leftovers after your conversion, then your candle heating technique better be good.
It's something you can get good at, I suppose.
It's not a deciding factor for me if the resultant chemical is actually pure.
It FELT pure while smoking, thought, in the sense that I didn't feel any unpleasant feelings in my throat.

The liquid is dark brown. The chemical was not dissolving in the mix easy.
I had to use a hard object to ground the clamps to make it dissolve into the PG/VG mix

I would say the conversion went fine. I had a good session. I didn't go terribly deep as I was initially terrified. But maybe 30 minutes in, you realise there's nothing to worry about. The key is upping the dose slowly each time you toke from the vape

But the experience DID feel smooth and I have no burnt taste in my throat and the smoking didn't feel different in any way than when I smoked freebase 5-meo-dmt before.

I wanted to point out that my final product didn't end up being moist. Shree wrote that you need to just use a couple of drops of water but I have a theory maybe you need to use more depending on the amount of substance you convert. I converted like 350mgs of malt. I mean, the conversion worked but I don't know if I did everything correctly. I didn't have much in the way of boiling. More the substance was giving of the fumes like you can see in the video. Shree did say that I was keeping the soup spoon too close to the flame. Next time I will keep it higher and will use more water. I don't know if adding more water can do much harm. It will boil away. I don't know if it would interfere with the underlying chemical reaction that we want to produce. 


Shree, is there video that demonstrates what the chemical reaction is supposed to look like?

Edited March 26 by maxpechura

[maxpechura]

There's an old post on dmt-nexus that talks about the things that Shree talks about. Maybe it could help clarify any questions that you still might have after reading the above.

[shree]

On 26/03/2024 at 1:02 PM, maxpechura said:

Shree, is there video that demonstrates what the chemical reaction is supposed to look like?

Sorry for the super late answer.

I couldn't find such a video.

My conversion guide is a compilation of various guides I found online. I input this information into ChatGPT-4 to create a consolidated guide, which I've tested myself a few times before sharing here.