Random
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Melissa essential oil solvent extraction
Since I have a very large amount of melissa (lemon balm), how much solvent would I actually need to extract a larger amount of plant material. I am
thinking in terms of ethanol.
For example, if I was to use 1L of ethanol, and chop 100g of plant material then mix with ethanol and filter over something, how long could I repeat
this until the liter of ethanol gets concentrated or would that be even inefficient in terms of mechanical losses?
Unfortunately I have no means to steam distill the material.
[Edited on 15-8-2013 by Random]
[Edited on 15-8-2013 by Random]
[Edited on 15-8-2013 by Random]
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Mailinmypocket
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Unfortunately steam distillation would be the best route to getting a relatively pure oil. Steeping the plant material in ethanol will make a tincture
which when evaporated will be gunky with other plant materials. If that is the only method at your disposal I would try just covering some finely cut
plant material, letting it soak a few days (or reflux a few hours) and then filter through something like cheese cloth to allow you to squeeze out
every drop. Filtering again after that would be a good idea.
I guess you would keep going until the alcohol is no longer as colored? It's hard to say. Are you going to dry the plant material before?
[Edited on 16-8-2013 by Mailinmypocket]
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Random
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Your suggestion about cheese cloth is pretty good, though I think my method is not very smart. I read that dry melissa retains only a small amount of
essential oil and if I was to use fresh one, there would be too much water and it would ruin the solubility of oil.
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Mailinmypocket
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You might be able to create a very crude distillation rig...
Take a large skillet with high walls... Or a pot.. And put the plant material in it with a few inches of water. Then place a beaker in the very middle
with something in it to weigh it down, and put the lid of the pot on upside down so that handle creates a drip tip. Boil the mix and distillate
containing the oil should drip into the beaker if all goes well. I would recommend ice packs or something on top of the lid to maximize condensation.
Then once you have enough distillate you could proceed with a solvent extraction etc. should work okay-ish, but it will be hard to tell when the
distillate stops being milky, which indicates no more oil is distilling out.
[Edited on 17-8-2013 by Mailinmypocket]
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Random
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Interesting idea, I'll try to do it when I'll have some more time and report results 
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sonogashira
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Solvent extraction study of antioxidants from Balm (Melissa officinalis L.) leaves
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814602...
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AbstractIn the paper, the extraction of antioxidants from Balm (Melissa officinalis L.) leaves with ethanol is presented. Effects of particle size,
amount of solvent and temperature on the extraction rates and concentrations of antioxidants in the extracts were studied and kinetics was determined.
Individual antioxidants (carnosic, ursolic and oleanolic acids) were identified by high performance liquid chromatography. Results showed that the
intraparticle diffusion was the rate-governing step of the extraction process. The extractions all proceeded in three stages: an initial washing
stage, a fast stage and a slower stage. Experimental extraction curves were analysed with a mathematical model derived from Fick's second law, and
diffusion coefficients of the antioxidants within the particles under different operating conditions in ethanol were determined.
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http://www.aseanbiodiversity.info/abstract/51001073.pdf
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confused
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if you have the appropriate glassware, maybe using a Soxhlet extractor would be better/improve your yield
heres a link to a DIY soxhlet extractor, seems interesting
(https://mycotopia.net/forums/botanicals/53045-diy-soxhlet-ex...)
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Bot0nist
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A proper steam distilatiom apperatus will likely be a simple thing to DIY, and is the go to method for most essintial oil extraction...
U.T.F.S.E. and learn the joys of autodidacticism!
Don't judge each day only by the harvest you reap, but also by the seeds you sow.
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Random
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DIY soxhlet extractor seems somewhat dangerous to heat as it's made from simple glass. Apparatus that Mailinmypocket describet seems somewhat more
convenient.
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violet sin
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your after the essential oil right? in other circles oil is extracted with butane, but I'm not going to recommend that. though along those lines I
read of guys doing everclear extractions using very short soak times. seems the process should transfer across just fine.
http://skunkpharmresearch.com/qwet-extraction/
this site is all about people that get oil from cannabis so be warned. if you don't want that on your brows history. but it basically says they do
extractions with drinkable highproof alc in about 3 min. this is to minimize the pick up of other stuff like the chlorophyll. vegetable waxes and
oils. but the quick in and out gets the lighter more mobile oils while others have a lag getting into solvent.
I came across this a while back while reading up on essential oils on google. I been tempted to try it on fresh tomato leaves and stem when we cut
'em down for the year. they don't smell near as strong when dried and I haven't finished my steam distillation yet. outside of 2" copper is easy to
clean, the inside not so much. so I will try a quick soak later this fall
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