exnihilo
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Okay, I figured this was too simple to deserve its own post, but apparently it's not so here it is:
The melting point of pure testosterone is approximately 155 degrees Celsius. At room temperature, 25% solutions of testosterone can be prepared without heating using DMSO as the solvent. A common property of solids in solution is that an increase in temperature of solution causes an increase in the solubility, unless the solvating reaction is exothermic or we're talking about a gas. This property is particularly marked for testosterone given its low melting point - if you heat the DMSO solution to 155 degrees Celsius you can make any % solution you want. Because the carrier we are using in this case is Phlojel, which contains alcohol water which will evaporate if heated directly and organic compounds (besides lecithin, unknown to me) which may be modified by the heating process, it is not advisable to directly heat your Phlojel.
The simple fix for this is to instead heat your DMSO/Testosterone solution (you could even just skip the DMSO and heat Testosterone directly if you were so inclined, 155 degrees isn't that hot) until all particles have been thoroughly dissolved. Once this this has been accomplished, simply add the dissolved Testosterone solution to the Phlojel slowly while stirring vigorously. Continue stirring for several minutes to ensure even dispersion and slow down crystallization slightly.
One trick to minimize disruption of the Phlojel matrix due to heat is to raise the temperature only the minimum amount required to dissolve your Testosterone completely. The easiest way to do this is by controlling the temperature using a hot water or oil bath. Water baths are REALLY easy, just heat a pot of water till it boils, and partially immerse your pyrex container with the testosterone/DMSO mixture into the pot till it reaches the desired consistency. If you want to create high % solutions, you will probably need to use an oil bath, which is a bit trickier. The technique is the same, however now it is advisable NOT to let the oil get hot enough to boil, as the high viscosity of oil causes splattering which will lead to severe burns. Any cooking oil will do, just make sure it's been processed for high temperature use. Start with less oil than you'll need, apply a constant heat, try to get it to reach a stable temperature in the neighborhood of the desired heating temperature (usually you'll overshoot, this is ok), then add more oil slowly to reduce the constant temperature down to exactly where you want it. From this point it's just like a water bath. You will need a decent thermometer to get this right.
As a side note, rather than trying to get a gloopy mess of phlojel into a syringe, my advice is to put it into the smallest mason jar you can find and meter dosage using a fractional teaspoon measure. Since 1 teaspoon is approximately 5mL, you can get fairly accurate dosing with the 1/4th and 1/8th teaspoon measures you find in any grocery store.
The melting point of pure testosterone is approximately 155 degrees Celsius. At room temperature, 25% solutions of testosterone can be prepared without heating using DMSO as the solvent. A common property of solids in solution is that an increase in temperature of solution causes an increase in the solubility, unless the solvating reaction is exothermic or we're talking about a gas. This property is particularly marked for testosterone given its low melting point - if you heat the DMSO solution to 155 degrees Celsius you can make any % solution you want. Because the carrier we are using in this case is Phlojel, which contains alcohol water which will evaporate if heated directly and organic compounds (besides lecithin, unknown to me) which may be modified by the heating process, it is not advisable to directly heat your Phlojel.
The simple fix for this is to instead heat your DMSO/Testosterone solution (you could even just skip the DMSO and heat Testosterone directly if you were so inclined, 155 degrees isn't that hot) until all particles have been thoroughly dissolved. Once this this has been accomplished, simply add the dissolved Testosterone solution to the Phlojel slowly while stirring vigorously. Continue stirring for several minutes to ensure even dispersion and slow down crystallization slightly.
One trick to minimize disruption of the Phlojel matrix due to heat is to raise the temperature only the minimum amount required to dissolve your Testosterone completely. The easiest way to do this is by controlling the temperature using a hot water or oil bath. Water baths are REALLY easy, just heat a pot of water till it boils, and partially immerse your pyrex container with the testosterone/DMSO mixture into the pot till it reaches the desired consistency. If you want to create high % solutions, you will probably need to use an oil bath, which is a bit trickier. The technique is the same, however now it is advisable NOT to let the oil get hot enough to boil, as the high viscosity of oil causes splattering which will lead to severe burns. Any cooking oil will do, just make sure it's been processed for high temperature use. Start with less oil than you'll need, apply a constant heat, try to get it to reach a stable temperature in the neighborhood of the desired heating temperature (usually you'll overshoot, this is ok), then add more oil slowly to reduce the constant temperature down to exactly where you want it. From this point it's just like a water bath. You will need a decent thermometer to get this right.
As a side note, rather than trying to get a gloopy mess of phlojel into a syringe, my advice is to put it into the smallest mason jar you can find and meter dosage using a fractional teaspoon measure. Since 1 teaspoon is approximately 5mL, you can get fairly accurate dosing with the 1/4th and 1/8th teaspoon measures you find in any grocery store.
