Hey folks, I just pulled off something cool: un-baking the cake and recovering raw testosterone enanthate from some old homebrew in GSO. With oxidation creeping in over time, I figured why not extract the goods? It was a bit of a pain at first, but once I dialed it in, the process was straightforward. Here’s the step-by-step in case anyone wants to salvage sketchy gear (this should work for MCT oil too).
Step 1: Initial Setup & BA Strip
Chill everything in an ice bath.
Add 30 mL n-heptane to the GSO/test mix—it emulsifies beautifully.
Add 10 mL water to pull out the benzyl alcohol (BA).
Chill again; the water + BA layer sinks, leaving heptane + GSO + test + BB on top.
Syringe out the bottom aqueous layer and discard. Repeat once more.
Step 2: Polar Extraction (Test + BB to Ethanol)
Still cold, transfer the heptane mix to a separatory funnel.
Add a 70/30 ethanol/water blend (start with ~40 mL).
Gently swish (no shaking!) ~20 times.
Pop it in the freezer for 10 min—layers separate like magic:
Bottom: ethanol/water + test + BB
Top: heptane + GSO
Drain the bottom ethanol layer into a beaker; save the oil layer in another.
Return the oil layer to the funnel, add fresh 40 mL ethanol/water, and repeat 3× total to grab every last bit of test. Separation is lightning-fast in the freezer.
Step 3: Dry the Ethanol Extracts
Combine all ethanol pulls.
Add anhydrous magnesium sulfate on a stir plate to soak up the water.
Filter out the MgSO₄.
Step 4: Strip the BB (the tricky part)
BB is stubborn—even under deep vacuum it needs heat.
I set a small electric hot plate under my vacuum chamber; ~1 hour did the trick.
Tip: You might be able to recrystallize with BB present, but I haven’t tested it.
Step 5: Crystallize the Goods
Add just enough ethanol to cover the remaining test gel in the dish.
Freeze overnight—BAM, crystals!
Clean, sparkly test enanthate ready for a fresh brew. Hope this helps anyone sitting on questionable vials!