Date: Mon, 15 Dec 1997 20:03:05 EST
From: parcival@mail.dma.be (Dirk Teunis)
To: Multiple recipients of list <ibogaine@ibogaine.org>
Subject: ibogain isolation

Hi,

After my previous post about harmaline isolation i remember that i had the=
 =
procedure for isolating ibogain lying about somewhere. Again i don't recomm=
ent =
anyone to try this before checking out the local laws. Ibogain doesn't seem=
s =
to be of recreational value.

Isolation procedure :

The ground stem bark (800g) was extracted for 15h with 96% EtOH in a Soxhle=
t =
apparatus working under a pressure of 0.2 atm. After cooling to -16C a =
precipitate formed, which was collected (steroids and triterpenes). The =
remaining solution was evaporated in vacuo to dryness (10g). Five grams of=
 the =
extract was partitioned between CHCl3 and 2% HOAc. The aquous layer was =
collected and adjusted to pH 10 with NH4OH and extracted twice with CHCl3.=
 The =
CHCl3 layer was collected, dried (Na2SO4) and evaporated in vacuo (yield 0.=
97 =
g tertiary alkaloids, 0.24%). Part (100mg) of this fraction was seperatedby=
 =
means of preparative TLC with systems A and E. The major amorphous product=
 (12 =
mg) was identified as ibogaine.


The isolation procedure was copied from :

T.A. Van Beek, C. De Smidt and R. Verpoorte
Phytochemical investigation of Tabernaemontana crassa
Journal of ethnopharmacology, 14 (1985) 315-318

My comments : this seems an awful lot of bark for a relative small amount=
 of =
ibogaine. I'm not exactly sure what the effective amount of ibogaine for =
breaking withdrawal is but i seem to remember a figure of 500-1000mg. The=
 =
total amount 800g of bark would have yielded a total of 230mg. But also =
remember that by using a simple crude (slightly acidified) water extraction=
 =
you'd end up with more ibogaine in solution, by isolating it you trade =
quantity for purity.

deGroeten
Dirk =

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