Hopefully, No More Pentane and/or Hexane Explosions or Poisoning

No More Pentane and/or Hexane Explosions or Poisoning

I was doing some reviewing of my laboratory equipment and found a cool way for almost
99.99% of everyone, but the careless from blowing themselves up while distilling some
solvents like pentane and hexane. This will only work with solvents which have density
less than water and float on top of it.

I have carefully distilled n-hexane with an all glass laboratory still with ptfe joint sleeves
indoors with no problems. Because I did my research and proceeded with care knowing
the risks involved. Sadly a lot of people doing BHO of all things don't do any researching
and wonder why things go wrong when they do.

Anyways, I though that an essential oil/water separator like I have attached to the end
of a condenser in a distilling apparatus like in the pic below would 99.99% avoid any
solvent vapors from entering the atmosphere where most problems occur.

i.e Explosions or Poisoning

Any uncondensed pentane or hexane vapor that escapes the condenser that touches
the water in the water/oil separator will be instantly be converted to liquid and float on
top like in this image below where essential oils in yellow is located with water below it.

All a person as to do is carefully empty the liquid solvent from time to time in the
water/oil separator and add water to prime it and restart the distillation process.

BTW: Play safe and pay attention when using flammable solvents as anything can go wrong.

These videos will show you how an essential oil/water separator works.
Solvents like pentane and hexane will behave like oils and float on water.

oil water separator

Essential Oil Extraction: Spearmint Oil via Direct Steam

Don't try what I posted above with butane.

Butane will collect over water. But it will not turn into a liquid at room temperature.

In the following video a science teacher will collect butane over water and show you some of it's properties.

Collecting Butane Over Water

butane will kill you all watch out

metsäkana said:

butane will kill you all watch out

Click to expand...

That's why hexane is safer and I'm not a butane kind of person. Told you this before.

so with hexane people make safer products and thats why its so popular around the globe

It's used in almost the manufacture of every type of vegetable oil in the World.

If you have vegetable oil at home there's more than a good chance it was made using hexane.

https://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Cooking-Oil.html

i use organic butter.. is it made with hexane

Is real butter made with vegetable oil? No!

It's made with milk if it's real butter.

thanks dad

Limonene is a better alternative to avoid poisoning and explosions.. similar in polarity to hexane and heptane..

hash head said:

Limonene is a better alternative to avoid poisoning and explosions.. similar in polarity to hexane and heptane..

Click to expand...

Have you used Limonene yourself to make an extract?

BTW: This thread was about safety using solvent like Pentane and Hexane.

metsäkana said:

butane will kill you all watch out

Click to expand...

It's sad what passes for advice here.