My dream started with VE's STE which produced 7.8g of some pretty white powder from possible 8.6g (dg's 60s used). I2 was a breeze (it seems), from 2%, dried in filters over baked salts in closed container for a few days. Rp, although a pain to trim strikers , seemed to go well, nice bright red, dried the same.

Mixed 6.6g E with 3.4g rp in small vial, then poured in rxn vessel to cover bottom. Then added 5ml dh2o followed by 6.6g of I2. attached about 2' of hose terminated with balloon. Gave everyone about 10 mins to become aquainted, was a little party, then set in oilbath at about 150F. Balloon swelled a little, in short order smelled rotten eggy funk at balloon. Over 26hr period, swirled, slowly increased heat, finishing for last few hours around 240-250F (temp of oil). Refluxing seemed to quit for last hour or so...no more condensating back down glass. Smell from balloon changed from eggy to.....sourish, rotten veggies...? Removed from heat, cooled, added dh2o, rp immediately fell out, fine filtered with 3x coffee filters and cotton ball four times, nice golden tinted clear fluid. Washed rxn fluid with vm&p twice, and then with xylene twice, got some yellow tint in washes. Put rxn fluid in ghetto separation funnel. Added about half the amount of rxn fluid of xylene and began adding lye to basify. Little at a time, little at a time, slowly coming up on ph paper.....changing color to green!!? emulsions coming when shaking, taking forever to settle, add a little more...boom!?! over 14ph!!! last color on ph paper chart is purplish, getting dark purple on drip strips....! xylene green, rxn fluid now looking cloudy Blue!!! What The!?! Put in jar, went to bed...Today looking at jar, have about 5/8" yellowish-greenish but clear xylene on top, thin ikky film, 1/2" of yellowish clear fluid(water layer), and 3/8" of carolina blue cloudy stuff layer on bottom. During basifying process I'm sure I smelled fishy smell I've read about.....What Do I Do???!! Toss and start over?? E not clean enough?? Can I bee saved??

Gonna go ride my scoot, at least I can go fast on that!

Next time, include a TCE/jap drier cleaning to your pseudo regimen.