Just wanted to make a point clear. Swinl's source that was bunk was NOT the French dude. AFAIK, he's straight and I've heard this from a number of bees, swinl was just looking for something different source-wise. Again, if any bee can lend a source, swinl'll keep quiet about it. You guys just don't understand how much it fucking sucks to lose this source for swinl (well maybe you do ...). Not to mention lost time, effort, chem.'s, etc. Lesson to be learned for other bees - take the time to check EVERYTHING. Don't slack. Keep your thermometers on everything. Always double check everything. Do the sodium bisulfite test - its really easy to do - make a saturated sodium bisulfite or metabisulfite solution (or the potassium version of either will work) in water and put in a drop of ketone in a test tube. It should form a solid, really pure tone will look like a crystal, not-so-pure will look like chicken fat, but still a noticible solid. You have to shake it up and wait several minutes sometimes, but it should happen.
Also, look for consistency. Ketone should be somewhat viscous (sp?) ie - slightly syrupy. Also, the ketone comes over ~25-30C higher than the allylbenzene. I know this has all been said before, but I just don't want any bees to get fucked the way swinl was. It really sucks to have to revert to cooking up meth ...gonna try a benzo wacker on dillapiole soon. Keep your fingers crossed. I don't see why it wouldn't work.
BTW - Swinl called up the health food store that fucked him (from a payphone). Pretended like it ruined his massage therapy oil recipe. They were all apologetic claiming that the FDA had cracked down and forced them to remove the "active component" safrole. Swinl was all like, oh that's bad, it wasn't harmful or carcinogenic was it? They're like, no apparently people were using it to make some drug. Swinl was like, you're kidding! That's crazy! Might have poured the BS on a little too much cuz the lady sounded like, uh-huh - what are the chances, you know goddamn good and well what you were doing with it, I know what's up. But nothing was said, and swinl hung up feeling like a criminal drug chemist. Fuckers. I hate this fucking country. Fuck the government. And a recent poll by CNN showed that damn near 80% of the population would be willing to give up some freedoms in exchange for letting the FBI and other govt. agencies have the authority to monitor us freely and fuck us at will.