Well, I just can't get it right, and all this trial/error is costing me too much $/ketone/whatever.
I just don't know where I'm going wrong. I'm using the method as described in TSII. Now, after I add the 35% NaOH sol'n, after about an hour, things are supposed to settle to the bottom, leaving an alcoholic reddish sol'n. Well, this does not happen. What I get is a little sludge at the bottom, some floating on top, and a greyish cloudy crap liquid. I tried extracting the liquid w/ DCM and got a reddish (pinkish) extract, but furthur work w/ that yielded only crap and headache.