[limpet chicken]

I have a solution in water of some mixed beta-carboline alkaloids sitting here, produced by boiling the plant source with acetic acid, containing mainly harmaline with very small amounts of phenolic harmalols and tetrahydroharmine, and I desire to convert them to the freebase form to precipitate the hydrochloride salt.

There are two ways I could precipitate the freebase, but I am having to improvise, as I haven't access to my lab at the moment.

I could add NH3 solution to the concentrated water extract, and evap the surplus ammonia, hopefully precipitating the freebase for recrystallisation as a salt, or, I have read that the acetate form of harmaline will be converted to the hydrochloride by simply adding NaCl, and the harmaline HCl will ppt. as it is insoluble in cold NaCl solution.

Which would be the best method to go about purification?

I can't do a standard acid/base extraction into a nonpolar solvent, as I have no tolly, naptha or xylene left, and am flat out of funds to buy more supplies at the moment

Thanks.