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Isobutane, Is it really the happy medium?

O

OutlawExtracts

New member
Let's talk about Isobutane.

To me it seems like a great alternative to mixed gas:

  • Only one gas so no worries of the ratio being off.
  • Not as high of pressure as propane, so use on bigger machines isn't as risky
  • Nice and low boiling point means it is quicker to recover than butane, which would mean it should purge quicker in theory.
  • It also isn't too bad with silicone
For those who are unfamiliar with all the comparison of Butane, Propane, and Isobutane here is a handy reference guide:


http://www.aeropres.com/files/physical properties.pdf


I am still in the midst of setting up a new lab space right now so I haven't picked up any. Another reason being my only source as of now is ecogreen and I don't feel like dealing with that mess.


Anyone with experience want to chime in and tell me your thoughts? I tried to do some searching and didn't find much info on here, maybe this can be the Isobutane thread?
 
J

JColtrane

Member
Actually was just thinking about doing a Iso run today. Was shipped an Iso LP5 by mistake, and was thinking about blending a 70/30 ratio of iso and propane. A local extractor has been using this blend, and says it's the Bees Knees :tiphat:

BTW email me at coltrane422@gmail.com if you want another source for nbutane, propane, ect. I'm located in Eugene, OR but can ship anywhere ... very clean gas
 
HG23

HG23

Member
I am currently using Iso with a little propane blended in. Works great. It's nothing revolutionary or anything like that though.

I think the more spherical structure of Isobutane as compared to n-butane reduces the London dispersion forces of the molecule and reduces its tendency to pickup the longer chains. If you've been working with strictly n-butane, you'll probably see a slight lightening of your extracts and also maybe a slight decrease in yield.

Propane seems like an even larger reduction in dispersion force as my propane heavy extracts seemed to come out the most flavorful and have the most "bite" to the dab. Probably from increased percentage of mono terpenes. The oleoresin was pretty consistently runny though, also probably from terpene retention, which made it a little less desirable for my clients who mostly like crispy carboxylic acid. I am working on educating people about the different consistencies and how they can come about.

Let us know how it works out for you.
 
O

OutlawExtracts

New member
Jcoltrane thanks for chiming in. I was actually emailing you last night about butane and isobutane. 70/30 ISO heavy or propane heavy? I was going to eventually going to go the mix route with propane just don't want to deal with the ratio changing. Who is running that mix? If you can disclose that.

HG23 yield is not a priority for me as much as quality and terpene retention. I've had my fair share of propane only and n butane extracts and was looking for a happy medium without having mix gasses. Would you say the ISO extract was more of a sap? Or just a snap and pull type? I'm ultimately shooting for a sugar wax or snap and pull consistency as it's what my patients and I prefer, plus who needs stability of your extract is loaded with terpenes
 
Gray Wolf

Gray Wolf

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OutlawExtracts said:
Let's talk about Isobutane.

To me it seems like a great alternative to mixed gas:

  • Only one gas so no worries of the ratio being off.
  • Not as high of pressure as propane, so use on bigger machines isn't as risky
  • Nice and low boiling point means it is quicker to recover than butane, which would mean it should purge quicker in theory.
  • It also isn't too bad with silicone
For those who are unfamiliar with all the comparison of Butane, Propane, and Isobutane here is a handy reference guide:


http://www.aeropres.com/files/physical properties.pdf


I am still in the midst of setting up a new lab space right now so I haven't picked up any. Another reason being my only source as of now is ecogreen and I don't feel like dealing with that mess.


Anyone with experience want to chime in and tell me your thoughts? I tried to do some searching and didn't find much info on here, maybe this can be the Isobutane thread?
Click to expand...

We've extracted with Isobutane, which works somewhere between n-Butane and n-Propane. As noted, the differences were not profound, so we've evolved to a 50/50% propane/butane mix, with liquid N2 to keep it chilled.
 
O

OutlawExtracts

New member
Graywolf, thanks for chiming in. I was hoping you would see this because I had a feeling you knew. A 50/50 mix of propane and butane must be nice. Do you just monitor tank pressure and certain temps to keep the mix and add butane when needed? I'm assuming you lose butane more than propane each run because of its higher boiling point
 
Gray Wolf

Gray Wolf

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OutlawExtracts said:
Graywolf, thanks for chiming in. I was hoping you would see this because I had a feeling you knew. A 50/50 mix of propane and butane must be nice. Do you just monitor tank pressure and certain temps to keep the mix and add butane when needed? I'm assuming you lose butane more than propane each run because of its higher boiling point
Click to expand...

Propane separation is only an issue in the gas phase, but goes away once again liquified, so Pharmer Joe hasn't found it necessary to tweak between mixes.

He mixes 50/50 by weight, which is closer to 55% propane by volume.

He uses liquid N2 to chill the mix, so doesn't see high pressures.
 
O

OutlawExtracts

New member
Gray Wolf said:
Propane separation is only an issue in the gas phase, but goes away once again liquified, so Pharmer Joe hasn't found it necessary to tweak between mixes.

He mixes 50/50 by weight, which is closer to 55% propane by volume.

He uses liquid N2 to chill the mix, so doesn't see high pressures.
Click to expand...

Interesting. Wouldn't the recovery leave more butane behind? Since we recover vapor and not liquid? I'm sure the amount lost is very minimal considering you pull a muffin. But with a pour I could imagine more butane loss.
 
A

APK47

Member
I distilled 24 lbs of Praxair 99.5% ISObutane the other day, and it was the cleanest gas I have yet to see. Left almost no trace of mystery oil, far less than I've ever encountered. While I didn't get analytical at all, I did notice recovery times probably 20% faster, maybe more. The end product is certainly lighter in color and appearance, although I wasn't able to compare overall yield as of yet, it seems to be slightly less at first glance.
I will report back comparing yields to nbutane, as well as recovery time.
 
J

JColtrane

Member
Played around with a little iso myself last week. Actually blended the 3 ... iso, ntane, and propane ... propane being only about 15%. Def faster recovery, lighter color ... little less stable than I normally get out of winterized shatter, more pull and snap.

Yup Praxair's gas is way clean. Can't wait to hear reports back on the 70/30 blend I just put out to the world!!!
 
Gray Wolf

Gray Wolf

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OutlawExtracts said:
Interesting. Wouldn't the recovery leave more butane behind? Since we recover vapor and not liquid? I'm sure the amount lost is very minimal considering you pull a muffin. But with a pour I could imagine more butane loss.
Click to expand...

Seemingly not enough separation at the level we recover, to be an issue. When we stop recovering, there is no visible liquid.
 
F

Fat Thor

Member
Ive been using straight ISO for over 2 years and absolutely love it. NButane tends to give me a darker extract and the recovery is much slower than straight ISO. We get extremely stable shatter so from my experinece I havent noticed that it gives you sappy product. I also have not noticed any drop in yield from straight Nbutane. Im just talking out of my ass here but I actually think I get a higher yield. I process for a very large grow that also sends small amounts of trim out to other processors to keep variety on the shelf and I consistently get higher yields and get better results than them off the same trim and bud.
 
N

Nughit

Member
How is the pressure of iso vs nbutane? I typically see a max of 30psi during recovery with my collection pot sitting in 110 degree water. What should I expect with iso?
 
K

Kingekos

New member
I would say around 40-60 psi depending on room temp or vessel temp but I definitely would say if you run isobutane expect it to sugar up quickly and be sappy or pull and snap
 
Gray Wolf

Gray Wolf

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Nughit said:
How is the pressure of iso vs nbutane? I typically see a max of 30psi during recovery with my collection pot sitting in 110 degree water. What should I expect with iso?
Click to expand...

N-Butane/propane chart attached. Here is one for Isobutane.

https://www.agas.co.uk/media/2423/r600a-iso-butane-pt-chart.pdf
 

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