DIY Kitty Crack: ultra-potent catnip extract

Step 8 Extract out the organic material

What you have on your hands is about 900 mL of catnip-smelling water, which contains a very small amount of nepetalactone. Catnip contains about 0.3% of this volatile oil by weight, meaning the 1 lb you started out with (454 g) can yield at most 1.4 g of product.

To get that out, we're going to do an organic extraction. Nepetalactone is a non-polar molecule and is much more soluble in an organic solvent than in water. Toluene is convenient because you can get it at the hardware store, and it's not especially bad for you. You could also substitute something like diethyl ether, if you can get your hands on it.

First, add a large quantity of salt (about 1 cup) to the water and shake it up real well to dissolve it. This increases the ionic strength of the water, giving the nepetalactone even more reason to dissolve in the toluene. Add 1 shot glass worth of toluene to the solution. Close the nalgene bottle tightly and shake it really well for at least a minute. Allow it to stand for at least 15 minutes, until you can see two distinct phases in the liquid. It's not clear from this picture, but you should see a thin layer of toluene floating on top of the water. It may be a little murky but that's OK.

A side note, don't let this mixture stand for *too* long, because the toluene will start to degrade the plastic and fog the nalgene bottle. Not an issue if you're using a glass container.

Comments

[Shadowfury]

Why waste diethyl ether on such frivolous endeavors? Also, as is mentioned below, there are serious flammability issues associated with diethyl ether.

[TheBaldFish]

"Why waste diethyl ether on such frivolous endeavors?"

This statement says to me that you aren't fully grasping how much fun you can have being entertained by super happy high cats. Twice as much diethyl ether would be worth half of the fun of seeing a cat fight his nemesis, a stuffed animal from a claw machine...

But seriously, cats love this stuff...

[gyrogizmo]

Toluene ??? That stuff is dangerous! Are you trying to poison the cats?Well, I guess I should have realized from Crack for Cats. Read this from Wikipedia! Toluene should not be inhaled due to its health effects. Low to moderate levels can cause tiredness, confusion, weakness, drunken-type actions, memory loss, nausea, loss of appetite, and hearing and color vision loss. These symptoms usually disappear when exposure is stopped. Inhaling high levels of toluene in a short time may cause light-headedness, nausea, or sleepiness. It can also cause unconsciousness, and even death. Toluene may negatively affect kidney function should not be inhaled due to its health effects. Low to moderate levels can cause tiredness, confusion, weakness, drunken-type actions, memory loss, nausea, loss of appetite, and hearing and color vision loss. These symptoms usually disappear when exposure is stopped. Inhaling high levels of toluene in a short time may cause light-headedness, nausea, or sleepiness. It can also cause unconsciousness, and even death. Toluene may negatively affect kidney function

[sveegaard]

Table salt can cause death, too. Toulene IS dangerous as many organic solvents, but it is not toxic as-is. Oxalic acid may also negatively affect kidney function, and guess what - spinach and rhubarb contain oxalic acid.

[not__you]

He also ran his extract through a mass spectrometer, which showed it to be more than 99% nepetalactone. 1% of his reported 143 mL would be 1.43 mL. He also said that the impurities were most likely to be nepetalic acid, which is harmless. I honestly don't see the problem with it.

[moebuspcgold]

When distillated properly Toluene will not be present and will no longer present a problem to cats.

[IG-88]

And of course EVERYTHING you read in Wikipedia is 100%, ironclad, undeniable fact.

Besides. It's just a cat. Experiment goes wrong...get another cat.

[superMacaroni]

"It's just a cat."

That's really nice of you.

[IG-88]

Thanks, I thought so too :)

[superMacaroni]

You're welcome :)

[sqeeek]

Actually, I'd think Wikipedia is just as accurate, if not more so, than many of the other websites you can find information from. Yes, everyone can edit it, but that's kind of the point - if someone says something wrong and stupid, someone else fixes it. On the other hand, another website could have one or two, or even 20 people saying something, and you never know if those are accurate either. They may say they're experts in the subject or something, but if you discredit Wikipedia as a source, then why believe the other guys either? Having talked to someone I know who has been a chemist for 50+ years, Wikipedia is right in that Toluene is dangerous. But, if you don't believe Wikipedia, you shouldn't believe me either. That said, @moebuspcgold is also right, there shouldn't be any present in the final liquid. And anyway, @gyrogizmo, what the heck happened to the "be nice" policy they always tell me about when I post these things?

[emerson.john]

"It's just another cat?" I'd rather use it on you to see if it is safe to give it to my cat.

[panks]

I'll hold IG-88 down while you give him the Toluene :)

[IG-88]

Ha! That wasn't very nice! I don't even like catnip

[rpjacks]

why not? My cats love it and I can imagine that it might even taste good on pasta. ;)

[boson research]

Using diethyl ether has some major downsides. Some folks may remember Richard Pryor, the comedian who recorded "Pryor on Fire" after a mishap with this stuff. I'm a chemistry professor. Been at it a long while, and I treat diethyl ether with a huge amount of respect, because it will catch fire in ways you may never have experienced. The fumes can travel across tabletops and floors quite some distance before reaching an ignition source, then nasty things happen fast. We don't turn light switches on or off when this is in use, there's a chance of triggering an explosion. So, while toluene certainly has toxicity problems, diethyl ether has huge flammability problems, vastly worse than gasoline (it's a starter fluid for use when it's too cold for gasoline to vaporize, that tells you how easy it is to light!). It's just not the sort of stuff to store around the house, especially if you don't live in a region with Arctic weather. Burn units are terrible places to spend months in, so think this through with care.

[Ydobon]

It should be pointed out that Pryor set himself on fire while using diethyl ether to freebase cocaine with a torch. It is doubtful that a man under the effects of cocaine foolish enough to play with ether and a torch is representative of Instructables.com readers.

"The fumes can travel across tabletops and floors quite some distance before reaching an ignition source, then nasty things happen fast. We don't turn light switches on or off when this is in use, there's a chance of triggering an explosion." Really? Source on this? Sounds overly dramatic.

While using diethyl ether in Grignard Reactions I never had to worry about this.
The risk here appears somewhat exaggerated. Certainly it's flammable and with a low vaporization point. Maintain adequate ventilation, use steam or boiling water to heat the ether, and otherwise do your homework.Be guided accordingly.

[boson research]

Here's a good reference on the issue of diethyl ether fumes traveling distances to ignition sources: http://cartwright.chem.ox.ac.uk/hsci/chemicals/diethyl_ether.html Oxford's chem dept. is not normally overly dramatic. Diethyl ether does this because the fumes are denser than air (consider the molecular mass). The issue is not whether it's safe to do a Grignard in a well-equipped lab using standard taper glassware, a condenser and a steam bath, the issue is using diethyl ether at home with the stuff you've got on hand (making an ignition-safe steam bath at home is tricky, containing the fumes is harder still). For instance, it may not be obvious to all readers that a hot water heater is an ignition source. I don't wish to insult anyone's intelligence, but having a good friend who was severely burned in a flammable solvent accident has made this an issue of concern for me.

[repworth]

""The fumes can travel across tabletops and floors quite some distance before reaching an ignition source, then nasty things happen fast. ", "Really? Source on this? Sounds overly dramatic." I set fire to my house this way when a bottle of model diesel fuel (containing some Ether) fell and smashed a very significant distance from a tiny nightlight candle almost completely concealed in a small tin. It flashed over and it took a scaril longy age to put it all out. Lost my entire model aircraft collection and my sisters new guitar, and the curtains of course, but father did not punish me when he came home, he was just relieved that it hadnt been worse . phew! My sister still reminds me of it even after 40 years

[sqeeek]

I agree, I'm no chemist, but that ether starter fluid stuff can blow up in your face if you're not careful. Had a couple of experiences with lawnmower type engines, various different (and distant) ignition sources... You know, @Ydobon, it would've been less typing work to Google it, and then you would've seen the millions of folks online agreeing with @boson.

[sqeeek]

Lol @everyone that's bashing on him for using dangerous stuff: 1. None of the dangerous stuff ends up in the cat's booze if you do this right. 2. YES, everyone, if you are playing with dangerous, flammable stuff, be careful. We were all quite aware of that, and now are even more so thanks to all of you yapping on about how dangerous the stuff is. But now, I think you can probably stop.

[Vladmirthe3rd]

Distill ze ether from ze H2SO4 and ethylalcohol mabey wodka will suffice I doubt, good luck! Immerse ether in catnip... allow to ewaporate? My cats can retard zemslefs before zey blastoffv to become a Fearlessch Catstronaut!!

[flamesami]

could you use alcohol instead of toluene? I seem to remember that you can use salt to separate alcohol from water, so could the same principle be used to separate alcohol+nepetalactone from water?or am I just proving my ignorance?

[Shoubi]

Dear lord, someone is recommending the use of organic solvents as non or low toxicity? This isn't the 1950s anymore, ether and toluene are incredibly toxic, even in low concentrations. Check an MSDS before you follow any directions here...

[MikeEC216]

You get more of these chemicals in a general chemistry lab than is used in this little experiment. The ether and toluene are highly volatile organic compounds which means they are flammable and they evaporate off very, very easily. At room temperature nearly all of them will evaporate off. If you apply gentle heat, say leaving in a sunny window seal, you will remove somewhere around 99.99% of both compounds. The fan method works similarly because it reduces the vapor pressure, what controls evaporation, and has a similar effect. The two are as lethal as using spray paint. Point being, if you are careful and don't go around huffing the compounds as they evaporate you're fine. As a biochemist and someone who has over two years of college level chemistry including organic, I have no fear of performing any of these reactions with the compounds or keeping them near my cats as long as you are smart and keep things well ventilated.

[mondostud]

Would there be an advantage to using diethyl ether? If so, what? Any drawbacks?

[epa]

well, fwiw, this is from the EPA's website under info re: toluene. i know that as a former environmental litigator, many Superfund sites were slated for cleanup because of very few parts per billion in groundwater. the EPA info begins:

"Toluene is added to gasoline, used to produce benzene, and used as a solvent. Exposed to toluene may occur from breathing ambient or indoor air. The central nervous system (CNS) is the primary target organ for toluene toxicity in both humans and animals for acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term) exposures. CNS dysfunction and narcosis have been frequently observed in humans acutely exposed to toluene by inhalation; symptoms include fatigue, sleepiness, headaches, and nausea. CNS depression has been reported to occur in chronic abusers exposed to high levels of toluene. Chronic inhalation exposure of humans to toluene also causes irritation of the upper respiratory tract and eyes, sore throat, dizziness, and headache. Human studies have reported developmental effects, such as CNS dysfunction, attention deficits, and minor craniofacial and limb anomalies, in the children of pregnant women exposed to toluene or mixed solvents by inhalation. Reproductive effects, including an association between exposure to toluene and an increased incidence of spontaneous abortions, have also been noted...."

[winky42]

Speaking as a former chemist, I would also encourage any men to use caution when working with toluene. I was always taught that toluene is bad for a guy's little swimmers, if the stories are true. Otherwise here's the MSDS info on this subject, which jives with what EPA says

http://physchem.ox.ac.uk/MSDS/TO/toluene.html

I also like the ether option though my preference would be towards using ethyl acetate as the extraction agent. It isn't as high boiling, as biochemically dangerous or as water-soluable as toluene.

The other mentioned option, diethyl ether, is more flammable and lower boiling. It can also overwhelm a person easily if used in a confined space. Caution. Caution. Caution.

[talbotron22]

Diethyl ether would be my first choice doing this in a real lab. I used it the first time I did this as a proof of principle, and it worked just as well. It's way more volatile than toluene, so it'll evaporate in just a few minutes whereas toluene takes overnight. The drawbacks are that you can't get pure ether from the hardware store; I think the best you can do is a can of starter fluid from an automotive store, which is mostly ether.

[Lord_Hate]

To get the close to pure Diethyl Ether you would want to mix the starter fluid with distilled water(1:1) in a separatory funnel and letting sit in the fridge or cold room overnight. The Ether made is reason enough to take the extra step and buy a sep-funnel.

[Lord_Hate]

P.S. - Kudos to having such a great project, I had at one time wanted to extract nepetalactone but never really got to it, though with all the thought taken out of it, I will definitely extract some and stone my cats. P.P.S. - What would the estimated purity of tetrahydrocannabinol and the other active ingredients if extracted with this method? If you used a strain like White Widow I imagine that the purity would be quite high (pun intended) due to the crystalline coating of the buds, leaves and stems.

[PHDinTHC]

I've used White Widow marijuana for supercritical butane extraction and it produces the.finest hash oil known to man. It is relatively easy to do, requires a small PVC pipe that you modify to accommodate the tip of the butane bottle. I just went ahead and purchased mine already constructed.

Important!: I do my butane THC extractions into a bowl of water, instead of onto a plate. The water helps purify my end product which I scrape off the surface of the water with an old credit card. Impurities and toxins fall to the bottom while all potent oils stay on top of the water, awaiting your collection.

Toluene? No way! I've used Everclear to extract THC prior to using butane and it's almost as good as supercritical butane extraction. Since you want to use a solvent with little to no water for best results, simply boil your Everclear and herb in a pot 'inside another pot' of water (simple double boiler to protect the Everclear from getting too hot and combusting). Boil it for three-four hours and then strain it through coffee filters onto a plate or glass cooking dish that you will evaporate the solvent from. Use a hairdryer to gently move the Everclear around the glass pan (carefully!) and it will evap off the Everclear within minutes. Scrape & Enjoy. This will strip off all essential oils from most plants, including cannabis.

For more on how to build a simple supercritical butane extractor go here:

http://www.erowid.org/plants/cannabis/cannabis_info13.shtml

To buy one already constructed for just a few bucks (recommended) try here:

http://weedcity.com/shop/product.asp?numRecordPosition=5&P_ID=402

For a complete guide on this form of plant oil extraction, this is well written:

http://www.uk420.com/boards/index.php?showtopic=3659

Hope this helps and don't forget to always grind your plant matter into bone dry powder for the best yields in your extractions.

PHDinTHC

PS: If you're hellbent on using either, don't use starting fluid unless you know how to separate the ether from the other compounds in starting fluid. I've pulled straight ether out by taking a can and spraying it into a jar filled halfway with tap water. Shake vigorously for several minutes. The water and ether layers will then separate easily.

[rick_bunt]

I suspect this wouldn't work to extract THC. My impression is that steam distillation only works on chemicals that have a relatively low boiling point. Pure THC boils way above 200 C (according to my trusty Merck index), so it would probably just sit and stare if you put it through this process. Alcohol, on the other hand, should distill just fine using the same catnip contraption. I've never actually made moonshine, so I don't know the nitty gritty, but at the least you could distill some crude alcohol away from all the yeast and sugar in the fermentation broth.

[RebelWithoutASauce]

THC dissolves very well in lipids. So if one were to heat the source in an oil of some sort that might be the first step to extracting it from plant matter.

[rick_bunt]

you mean like, say... butter? maybe have some brownie mix lying around? ;)

[mmt]

As the nalgene degrades, is there any risk of it entering you're drinking water?

[dutchypoodle]

Yes, Nalgene can leak chemicals into your liquid beverages. Don't be wasteful! Nalgene is incredibly difficult to recycle. Please re-use your nalgene bottles. Plastics typically only leach into liquids. Your old nalgenes can be reserviced as travelling or storage containers for dried rice, dry pasta, crackers-- what have you.

[laernmoer]

Don't re-use the nalgene if you're worried about that. They're cheap nowadays, just go get a new one.

[25Kilovolt]

wouldn't an instructables nalgene be awsome

[ewilhelm]

You mean like this one? We gave a couple of these away as prizes for the Homemade Gift Contest.