[pointyst1k]

Sorry is this is the wrong section. What is the best way to remove water from a liquid you were just working with, and turn it into a powder? Now, I know one method of a diaphragm pump connected to some sort of decompression chamber running back into the diaphragm pump for the air to be dispersed. Do you absolutely have to use ice or dry ice to aid you with this? If so, I am looking for a way (homemade or other) that can remove water and leave the compounds you were working with as a powder. Is this possible with a high-end dehydrator? If I can build my own using a method that involves nothing from me except time and a machine, could you give me a part list and diagram of how to build this? The powder will be consumed after the water is extracted, so no poisons please.

Thanks a lot!
Chris

[Furanone]

Most common and economical way used in the industry for high amounts of water (>50%) is using a spray drier. Here you turn your liquid into a mist with very small droplet sizes to maximize surface area-to-volume ratio so drying is very rapid and gentle (minimal chemical reactions and no denaturation of proteins). The evaporated water is taken out by vacuum while the dried solids (now in powder form) spin in a cyclone before gravity-falling to a collection vessel.

You may not have access to a spray drier, and in very small batch sizes is not worth it either. What I typically do to gently dry a liquid in my lab is pour out liquid onto a metal baking sheet (again maximizing drying by increasing surface area-to-volume ratio) and leave in the fumehood overnight (negative pressure/partial vacuum helps speed up evaporation) and by next morning, it is ready for my mortar and pestle/coffee grinder. The total solids/moisture content (%yield) can also accurately be determined by weighing before and after on the pre-weighed baking sheet.

My apologies if I have misunderstood your question. The method you are proposing seems quite complicated but perhaps you have a sample matrix which requires special water removal needs where what you are proposing would be useful. I am only offering my experiences in water removal since I do this often in preparation for many food analyses.

[pointyst1k]

The only thing is, I'm on a budget and need to make something homemade. <u><b>Is ice or dry ice mandatory in a diaphragm vacuum method?</b></u>

[pointyst1k]

I don't understand this, I have had about four different chemistry questions that are important (to me) and none have been answered so far. What is another actually decent chemistry forum?

[pointyst1k]

And every question of mine leads to an answer that had nothing to do with the original question. I'm here to learn, I knew chemistry a long time ago and if someone asks a direct question, a direct answer is pretty much expected. So that's what I tend to give people. It makes me not want to help other people with questions that I have knowledge about because my questions are either being misguided or ignored completely.

[DrCMS]

Here is direct answer for you - READ the forum rules.  We do not help people with stuff they plan to eat/smoke/get high etc. 

Here is another direct answer for you - LEARN to ask a direct question that makes sense to the person you are asking.  It may be completely clear to you because you know all the details but you have only given minimal of those details and your questions are not clear enough to give a correct answer to.

[jeffmoonchop]

Just boil it off.