Talbotron22 shows you how to make SUPER CATNIP… isolation of nepetalactone from catnip –
At least two thirds of domestic cats “enjoy” the effects of Nepeta, a.k.a. “catnip.” But do they it enjoy it enough? If humans were able to isolate the active ingredient in catnip, could we not use it to become omnipowerful CATGODS? Imagine the possibilities! What fool wouldn’t want their own personal cat army? A massive fuzzy force with which to execute your every bidding? A united, unquestioning militia that requires nothing other than unfettered access to the super-powerful catnip products that give their adorable cuddly lives meaning?
Nepetalactone is the active ingredient in catnip.* Today we are going to isolate nepetalactone in its pure form through a steam distillation. The distilled liquid will be extracted with an organic solvent (toluene), refined, then evaporated to give the final product.
Now I know what you’re thinking: is it safe for cats to be around such a concentrated extract of catnip? Hell yes! Within reason. And we’re all reasonable people. Pure nepetalactone has been studied on cats extensively. In fact, “catnip oil” that is available from botanical stores is essentially just nepetalactone, and it is widely used in homeopathic medicine. More details later.
* Note: pure nepetalactone will not enable you to create a cat army.
instructables : isolation of nepetalactone from catnip : intro – Link.
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