Simple safe nicotine extraction from any tobacco

[RjG]

I had this thought - it's so silly simple...

Get one of these kinda "herbal vaporizers" or similar, one that can pump up a bag
HerbalAIRE Vaporizer H2.1 on Sale @ GOTVAPE.com

Set the temp to 247C (or thereabouts Nicotine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia boiling point of nicotine)

turn it on, and let the nicotine vapor bubble up through a tall bottle of nice cold pg fresh out of the fridge.

The cold PG should condense the fairly pure nic vapor immediately.

Added bonus - since it's already vaporized nicotine, none of the atomizer clogging crap will be in it.

What do you think?

 

[kinabaloo]

Initial impression - excellent idea, something to think about ...

Will need a temp setting slightly over 247C

But everything that vaporises below this temp will also end up in the PG. However, at least no dry residue stuff.

Some of the nice tobacco flavors that resemble chocolate and coffee (that are masked by tar and ash in an analog) should also end up in the PG.

This nicotine will be 'free base'? I guess so.

Does need more thought and more input, but looks promising. Add some dry-deposit-free flavors and finally we have a juice that will produce no gunk to burn up on the atomizer coil.

edit (add): Thought about running at a lower temp first to remove the unwanted volatiles, but this would include water and so just dry out the tobacco and perhaps degrade the nicotine or cause it to react in some way. So not a good idea (?)

Also, this method might release only the nicotine that is already free-base, a minority fraction (?)

Will need a good source for the tobacco.

It might be good to soak the tobacco in a little PG before hand and then put the whole lot into the device.

Will be interesting to compare, cost and otherwise, with soaking nicotine patches (my current preferred backup method).

Perhaps the same end can be achieved with equipment cheaper that the commercial device ($250); and be made more suited to the purpose in terms of getting the vapor to condense in the PG (or run down into the PG after condensing).

Safety Note:

Nicotine is an extremely toxic substance. More so that arsenic, milligram for milligram. Its extraction, storage and use in e-liquid pose a significant risk to the user and anyone who might come into contact with it.
Never allow nicotine to touch your skin or allow it to build up in the atmosphere. Always wear suitable protective clothing and keep workspaces well ventilated.
Extreme caution must always be applied in the handling of nicotine, especially where children are concerned - a drop of e-liquid that might make a long-term smoker feel sick will likely kill a child.
All items contaminated by nicotine extraction or e-liquid mixing must be cleaned or disposed of accordingly. Treat it as toxic waste - do not allow it to pollute the environment or remain unattended or unsecured at any time. Contact your local authority to find what provisions there are for hazardous waste disposal before you attempt any e-liquid production.
E-liquid and all substances used in its production must be stored securely away from children and pets and in child-proof bottles.
Appropriate care must be taken to safeguard against fire-hazards. Many ingredients in e-liquid are highly flammable, as are many substances used in the extraction of nicotine.

Even following these guidelines cannot guarantee your safety.

If you do not have experience in handling dangerous chemicals do not attempt to do any DIY liquid manufacture.

 

[kinabaloo]

The device might also be a great way to take a bottle of commercial e-juice and 'pre-vape' it to remove all the dry-deposit stuff before vaping it for real. A setting of about 260C would be fine.

If this cuts down the nicotine content because some or all of the nicotine in a commercial juice is not free-form or volatile, that wouldn't matter because it was never going to get to our lungs anyway.

edit (add): It would be very interesting to conduct a dry-residue test on a PG-based, nicotine containing, flavorless juice. While taking all possible safety measures.

 

[RjG]

$250? ouch... I was just grabbing an example with Google, lol

They have a different one for $150 Vapir Air One 5.0 Vaporizer on Sale @ GOTVAPE.com Honestly, that was the first Google hit, I didn't look very hard - I'm sure there's cheaper ones yet.

I think the popular opinion for tobacco is that all the carcinogen content comes from combustion - so you'd think whatever came out of this kind of machine at 250 deg or so, and condensed in the cold PG would be fairly safe to vape

 

[Nuck]

Lets say the goal is 10 ml of 36 mg juice. A cigarette's worth of tobacco contains about 15mg of nic. Let's assume 100% transfer..so it would require 24 cigarettes worth of tobacco to get there.

The problem I see is that after the real transfer efficiency is realized it is still a whole lot cheaper to just buy the manufactured juice without all the extra contaminants and with a known (well...presumably known) nic concentration.

Of course, if a ban comes into effect this could still be an emergency means of feeding the habit. It's also cool as sh.t just for the sake of being able to do it. I have a volcano here I could test with if you want to give me step by step.

 

[kinabaloo]

"Apparently there can be around 15mg of nicotine in a cig. We only get about 1mg from it because the rest goes up as sidestream smoke or is lost in other ways." Info from Kate (http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/new-members-forum/16679-weight-tobacco-cigs.html#post271017)

So when calculating the nicotine content need to assume the maximum initially. At best, might get 15 cigs worth of nicotine from 1 cigs worth of tobacco. Now that's optimism

 

[RjG]

I never said it was an economical process ;-) but my thoughts were more along the lines of ban=no supply... I would get a bit cheaper if you bought a can of the cheapest tobacco, instead of peeling cigs though. Or if you planted seeds

 

[Nuck]

I never said it was an economical process ;-) but my thoughts were more along the lines of ban=no supply... I would get a bit cheaper if you bought a can of the cheapest tobacco, instead of peeling cigs though. Or if you planted seeds

Well if you give me details on the setup I'd be willing to give it a go. For vapourizing I have:

Volcano Vaporizer: Digital | Cannabis Culture Magazine

How would I go about forcing the vapor into the PG/VG and for how long, etc?

 

[kinabaloo]

The idea would be to have the PG in the bag if possible in advance. Otherwise, the PG could be added to the bag after; it's just that briefly there would be a concentrated nicotine solution befre the PG was added.

Assume the maximum nicotine (perfect extraction) and calculate PG volume; you know all this

 

[Letzin Hale]

One flew east, one flew west and I've walked into the cuckoo's nest!
I keep looking over my shoulder for the hidden camera.
What purity would you achieve and what other chemicals would be dragged along for the ride?
Why don't you just buy a bottle of nicotine and brew your own? I say brew as there is much more to it than mixing up a few ingredients in a bowl. I used to think this was a serious section of the forum but now I realise it has to be a spoof
Alan.

 

[Nuck]

The idea would be to have the PG in the bag if possible in advance. Otherwise, the PG could be added to the bag after; it's just that briefly there would be a concentrated nicotine solution befre the PG was added.

Assume the maximum nicotine (perfect extraction) and calculate PG volume; you know all this

With the small amount of PG added to the bag, the heated bag will still easily expand and stand vertically. The PG will leak down into the vapourizer itself.

I think I'll have to figure out a way to put a heat resistant tube over the top of the nozzle and then run it into one of the cool beakers with the cap and tube as one unit. I have no idea where to get those though.

 

[Nuck]

One flew east, one flew west and I've walked into the cuckoo's nest!
I keep looking over my shoulder for the hidden camera.
What purity would you achieve and what other chemicals would be dragged along for the ride?
Why don't you just buy a bottle of nicotine and brew your own? I say brew as there is much more to it than mixing up a few ingredients in a bowl. I used to think this was a serious section of the forum but now I realise it has to be a spoof
Alan.

Anyone who has never done anything just out of curiosity or because he can is leading a bland existence. You have my sympathy Alan

 

[kinabaloo]

Might need some improvisation. The nicotine should condense rapidly.

Perhaps just do as you normally would do, and add the PG after.

 

[RjG]

no, no... that's not what I meant. No bag

I mean use a tall bottle, fill with PG, and refrigerate it so it's cold.

The put the TUBE from the "volcano" to the bottom of the bottle and fire the vaporizer up.

With the vapor just a few degrees about the vaporization point of the nicotine, the bubbles coming from the bottom of the bottle should re-condense rather quickly and be trapped in solution in the PG. You might need a narrower tube or a "fish tank bubbler" type gizmo at the end of the tube to keep the bubbles small.

That was what I was thinking, anyway. I've never ever seen a "herbal vaporizer" before - so I'm guessing a bit here if that would be possible from the flow rate of the machine.

 

[RjG]

As for the strength - who cares. If you take a few puffs and it's too strong, water it down.
If it's too weak, volcano a few more ounces thru it... you only have to establish the baseline once, trial and error works. Nicotine is handy that way - it buzzes you if it's too much and leaves you "wanting" otherwise :-0

 

[kinabaloo]

Might not condense quick enough or only as far as a mist mixed in steam. Suspect most of the gas will bubble straight out into the air. I think the expanding bag will be better. Or one of those glass chinistry condensers. Only suggestions

Only one way to find out ...

It's just a matter of working out the best way with a bit of trial and error.

 

[Nuck]

As for the strength - who cares. If you take a few puffs and it's too strong, water it down.
If it's too weak, volcano a few more ounces thru it... you only have to establish the baseline once, trial and error works. Nicotine is handy that way - it buzzes you if it's too much and leaves you "wanting" otherwise :-0

Got ya..I'll look around tonight for a tube that fits over the vapourizer tip the bag attaches to. I'll also have to go grab some tobacco.

If this works, my crackhead mind already sees the potential for some pretty funny experiments

 

[Misty]

I must say this is great...RjG, Nuck and Kinabaloo!..a perfect team to come up with some amazing ideas for nicotine extraction!!..

I can't wait to set up my own science lab at home..keep us posted!! and Good luck!

 

[kinabaloo]

I must say this is great...RjG, Nuck and Kinabaloo!..a perfect team to come up with some amazing ideas for nicotine extraction!!..

I can't wait to set up my own science lab at home..keep us posted!! and Good luck!

Hey, thanks

But just like any team, we have our own preferences and priorities

I think most of the nic will be lost by bubbling into a bottle; by feeding the tube to the bag (at the side, not on top of the machine), none would be lost. But it was not my idea and i don't have the equipment - damn!

So good luck team You might catch 1% - if you're lucky.

 

[Nuck]

Hey, thanks

But just like any team, we have our own preferences and priorities

I think most of the nic will be lost by bubbling into a bottle; by feeding the tube to the bag (at the side, not on top of the machine), none would be lost. But it was not my idea and i don't have the equipment - damn!

So good luck team You might catch 1% - if you're lucky.

That vaporizer is worth over 700 bucks!! No way I'm letting PG get into it.

If you've never seen one in use, the bag gets filled and expands within seconds. The pressure is actually quite high and it would have no problem lifting a LOT of liquid. It would not be possible to use the liquid in the bag unless you added a much larger pressure relief valve.

PS. Hi Misty