How to prevent mold in aqueous solution

[tycon69]

Ok, So I am a junior chemistry major doing organic research, but my question hasn't really occured in organic lab and is really more microbiology related, but I assume chemists in certain fields have either run across this problem or already know how to prevent this from happening. I have a chemical, its a racetam nootropic (completely legal), that I ordered a gram of from a chemical provider. Because this nootropic is for personal use and not laboratory use, I have no access to lab chemicals, scales, etc. I dissolved the entire gram in solution and was going to measure my dose in concentrations of 2mg / ml H20. My problem is that because I was in a hurry, I poured this solution into a rootbeer bottle that I had only rinsed out twice with water. Well it appears that their was trace sugars in the solution and a few days later it turned from a clear solution to a cloudy solution with moldy fuzz floating around....

 

Now how am I to salvage this solution of nootropic? My first idea was to raise the pH a little bit (hopefully I still have a vial or two of 1 M HCl that I had stolen (yes i was so interested in chemistry that I stole a few chems and glassware from my terrible chem teacher) in high school). If I can't find that I was going to use a little lemon juice or whatever else I can find around the house (you think ascorbic acid would help? or is it too weak?). Then after a reasonable pH change, assuming a pH change would kill and prevent any more mold, I was going to filter it through a coffee filter a couple times (don't really have access to laboratory grade filters right now).

 

After doing this would the solution be safe to ingest? Or should I try to attempt some sort of other extraction method? That would be difficult as I can't just steal chemicals from the lab (im not in high school anymore). I'm sure noone would miss a few mLs of acetone, DCM, ethyl acetate, or any of the other common solvents I use everyday in lab, but I do not want to wait till after the weekend as I am trying to get a start on studying for finals.

 

Any suggestions or a confirmation of my idea would be great. Thanks alot

[John Cuthber]

Sounds like a whole set of bad ideas.

Lots of mould/ fungi produce toxic chemicals that will contaminate the stuff. Since you don't know what they are it's going to be impossible to ensure that you remove them.