Tried the following two experiments to try to separate the Stearic Acid out of HalalEveryday marked stearic acid bags.
1. 200 grams in a freezer bag placed in Hot Water:
a. Heated water to 170 degrees F in a metal water heater.
b. Poured water into glass tray and waited until water cooled to 155 degrees F using a meat temperature gauge. Water cools fairly quickly and had to keep adding 170F water until it stabilized.
c. Put bag in water until water cooled to 145 degrees F. Tried to keep bag at 150F by pouring hot water in as it would continue to cool.
d. Poured contents of bag through metal strainer above glass bowl.
e. Result: Recovered 66 grams (33%) out of metal strainer which I am hoping is Stearic Acid. Lost some stearic acid in metal strainer as waited too long to get it out and it solidified on the metal strainer. Poured cool water into glass bowl so Palmitic acid would solidify and hand scooped it into the trash can.
2. 330 grams mixed into hot water:
a. Stabilized water in a metal sauce pan at 150 degrees F on an electric stove by monitoring it with a meat temperature gauge and adding cold water as necessary.
b. Poured Stearic Acid into 150F hot water and stirred it all was submerged.
c. Poured contents of metal sauce pan through metal strainer above glass bowl and quickly removed contents from metal strainer.
d. Result: Recovered 188 grams (57%) out of metal strainer which I am hoping is Stearic Acid. Poured cool water into glass bowl so Palmitic acid would solidify and hand scooped it into the trash can. From Ducky-001's results of 50% Stearic Acid/50% Palmitic Acid, I probably didn't stir it for long enough before I strained it and/or the water cooled too much as I had 57% left which is 7% too much.
Lessons Learned: Believe I need to have a better technique to keep the water at 150F as it lowers as soon as the Stearic Acid gets in it. Perhaps if I would have stabilized the water at 155F in the metal sauce pan, it will melt out the Palmitic acid before it cools too much, but keep the Stearic Acid solid. Both experiments were pretty messy as the Palmitic acid solidifies quickly and then you have to pour hot water over the Metal Pot, Stirrer, and strainer above a glass bowl so it doesn't solidify in the drain pipes.
Edited by BelieveWeDoBetterTogether, 19 August 2018 - 06:55 PM.