Volumetric liquid dosing
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Volumetric dosing is the process of dissolving a compound in a liquid to make it easier to measure. In the interest of harm reduction, it is important to use volumetric dosing with certain compounds that are too potent to measure with traditional weighing scales. This technique makes it possible to use a cheap $30 scale and still measure accurately to a few milligrams.[1]
Many psychoactive substances, including benzodiazepines and certain psychedelics, are active at less than a single milligram. Such small quantities cannot be accurately measured with common digital scales, so the substance must instead be dosed volumetrically by weighing out larger amounts of the compound and dissolving it in a calculated volume of a suitable liquid.
There is a volumetric dosing calculator located here which will determine the amount of the substance and solvent needed, as well as the concentration.
Materials
- Solvent, such as alcohol (vodka or everclear work best), water, propylene glycol, or glycerine (depending on substance)
- Note: Search the internet to determine what solvent to use. some substances will not dissolve in water.
- Liquid measurement device, such as a syringe (can be an oral syringe or one with a needle), graduated cylinder, eyedropper, measuring pipette, or measuring cups (teaspoon, tablespoon, etc.)
- Milligram scale
- Sealed storage bottle or container - Note: the solution may degrade with exposure to light. There are dark colored 15ml bottles [1] that minimize this exposure.
- Paper, tape, and a writing utensil to label the bottle
Solvent
Certain psychoactive substances (particularly benzodiazepines) are practically insoluble in water, but will dissolve at various concentrations in other easy-to-acquire solvents, such as alcohol, propylene glycol, or glycerine. However, even when added to the correct solvent type the solution may need a mild hot water bath or agitation (shaking or stirring) to get a homogeneous solution. A hot water bath involves placing the substance container into a bigger container with hot water inside of it. This heats up the solution in the container so that it may dissolve better. The substance may precipitate out of the solution and the process of light heat/agitation may need to repeated again. Always check your solutions for precipitates before using it.
The first important consideration is the maximum concentration at which your chosen solvent will dissolve your product. A value can usually be found with minimal effort on the internet, using a search term like "<material> <solvent> solubility".
Alcohol in particular is mixable with most solvents; Just a few drops is usually enough to increase the maximum concentration dramatically, even when using water as the major component.
Adding a small amount of acid (lemon juice, vinegar, etc) to certain solutions can also increase the solute's solubility in the solvent.
Measurement
There is a volumetric dosing calculator located here which will determine the amount of the substance and solvent needed, as well as the concentration.
Liquid
For best accuracy, an oral syringe should be used to measure the calculated volume of liquid. You may also use other measuring tools, such as a syringe with a needle, graduated cylinder, eyedropper, measuring pipette, or measuring cups.
The conversions for measuring cups are listed below:
- 1/4 teaspoon (TSP) = 1.25ml
- 1/2 teaspoon (TSP) = 2.5ml
- 1 teaspoon (TSP) = 5ml
- 1 tablespoon (TSB) = 15ml
If one is using an insulin syringe, 1cc = 1mL.
For efficient dosing, a 1ml syringe with 0.1ml graduations can be used with solutions at a concentration of 10mg/1ml; this provides 1mg/0.1ml graduation. It may be better to use a lower concentration if your usual dose is below 1mg.
Powder
It is vital to weigh the amount of powder that you want to volumetrically dose with a milligram scale first. Even if the weight is on the bag itself, do not assume that the vendor has given you a certain amount of a substance; it is not uncommon for vendors to give more product than is labelled. If one believes they received 500mg, but actually received 1000mg, then the liquid solution will be twice as strong as expected.
Emptying a bag of a substance into a container with solvent may leave small amounts in the bag. To account for this, begin by weighing your bag with the substance in it and note the reading on the scale, transfer the contents into your solution, then weigh the bag again. The difference between these weights is the amount of substance you've placed in the solution. For example, if your initial weight is 2000mg, and after transferring the substance the weight of the bag is now 750mg, you've transferred 1250mg of substance.
To achieve a concentration of 10mg/1ml, measure the weight of material in milligrams, then divide the value by 10. So for 1000mg material, 100ml of solvent will be required. It is safest to use the lowest concentration possible, preferably 1mg/1mL or less for very potent substances active in the 1mg range.
Dissolution
After weighing the material, calculating the concentration, and measuring the required volume of solvent, add the liquid to a suitable container, then carefully mix in the compound. Seal tightly, then mix thoroughly by shaking the container vigorously.
To aid in dissolution, the container can be placed in a heat bath to warm it up. After a while, the solvent will become less viscous and can be mixed more thoroughly. Be vigilant of the amount of heat used in the hot water bath because boiling water may break down some chemical compounds.
Some chemicals need the aid of an acid to dissolve in water. Weak acids such as white vinegar or even citric acid are both valid options, but food grade acetic acid (vinegar) would be the most sterile way of adding an acid into the solution.
Storage
- Avoid exposure to direct sunlight or heat
- Label the container with contents and concentration
- Keep in a safe place away from children
- Periodically check the solution for homogeneity; there should be no particulate matter precipitating out on the bottom of the bottle. The solution should be evenly mixed and homogeneous.
See also
External links
- Liquid measurement guide (Erowid)
- Guide to volumetric dosing (Reddit)
- Volumetric dosing tool (TripSit)
References
