Behaviour of isoquinolines in water and alcohol when frozen?

[CloudyHazeD]

Would the active alkaloids contained in poppy pod migrate to alcohol in the following situation?

Say someone took some powdered poppy pod and placed it in a Zip-loc freezer bag.

Then, a solution of 30% water and 70% alcohol was added.

This would be left to soak for an hour.

Then this bag would be put into a freezer, for 12 hours.

Would the water then freeze, trapping the poppy grounds?

Would the alkaloids be pushed into the alcohol, which would not freeze?

Could the alcohol then be very easily separated from the frozen water/pod and evaporated to yield a decently clean extract of pod?

Thanks for any input on this theoretical situation.

 

[nuke]

Would the water then freeze, trapping the poppy grounds?

Sort of,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeze_distillation

And here's some more on extracting morphine etc using simple alcohols:
http://designer-drug.com/pte/12.162.180.114/dcd/chemistry/morphextr.html

Almost all of the alkaloids, especially morphine, are highly soluble in methanol. Advantageously, the alkaloids are soluble in methanol in their neutral, cationic, or anionic forms. The addition of an alkali, alkaline earth, or other suitable base to adjust the pH of the alcohol, to about 9, so makes the extraction process more efficient. This results in more alkaloids and less impurities being extracted into the alcohol. Refluxing opium in a basic solution of the alcohol, preferably methanol at about pH 9, for approximately one to two hours extracts more than 90% of the morphine present.

(and you're looking to extract phenanthrenes rather than isoquinolines, since they're the real actives in opium poppies)

 

[kidamnesiac]

that does not seem like a real patent, the language is completely wierd for a US patent (albeit a bonafide patent)

 

[CloudyHazeD]

Thanks for the info, Nuke.

Very helpful.

 

[Roches]

Note what it says in the Wikipedia article -- the frozen material is not water, but a dilute solution of alcohol in water. So the frozen material has less alcohol than the liquid, and the liquid has more alcohol than the ice. The water doesn't simply freeze, leaving behind 100% alcohol. You may have to repeat the procedure several times to get the desired results, and some of the desired product will be present in the various water-rich (frozen) fractions.

It may also be impossible to achieve the required temperature with a domestic freezer.

 

[CloudyHazeD]

Dry ice :D