How can you tell when combustion is taking place while vaping?

[Ratio]

I was sitting here using my new Vapor Brothers. I got some pretty big rips off it after trying out some techniques. I thought it was odd so i wondered if it was combusting and maybe my room would smell like the substance I'm vaporizing. Is smell the only way to tell?

 

[SkollIstKrieg]

generally if the herb is too dark and black is when its combusted. even with vapor theres a little bit of odor, but its not even close to smoke

 

[Ratio]

oh okay, dont some people smoke it until its black though? I only smoke mine until a dark brown.

 

[bluntfaced]

You will know when it happens and it will be gnarly. Until then you are just vaping at high temps which can let of benzene blahblahblah

 

[vap999]

generally if the herb is too dark and black is when its combusted. even with vapor theres a little bit of odor, but its not even close to smoke

Blackening/darkening is not combustion! It is charring, like charcoal, due to pyrolysis, formation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs; known carcinogens). Simply stated, aromatic (by the organic chemistry definition, not defined by smell/odor) organic compounds are degrading, polymerizing randomly and forming large aromatic fused benzene ring-based compounds. An example of this is black soot from incomplete combustion (not hot enough for full combustion). Serious blackening/pyrolysis happens at temperatures lower than combustion, say in the lower 400s?F (while it happens to lesser degree at lower temperatures).

Combustion is actual burning - heat breaking down organic materials, vaporizing them, and causing vaporized carbon-based molecules to oxidize (react with oxygen), leading to further self-feeding heat production, flames, etc. You will know when your herb combusts, if your vaped residual (ABV) contains ash or whitish powder, that is very light/fluffy (less mass than the usual, even charred, ABV). There will likely be other clues indicating actual combustion, such as smoke, distinct taste and smell, inhaled vapor hotter than than usual, etc., while pre-combustion pyrolysis will generally provide fewer or less obvious perceptual clues, other than ABZ color.

 

[Ratio]

ah i see, thank you so much! i didnt think about the grey/white part of the ash :x.

 

[SkollIstKrieg]

good info, thanks for the correction! i myself have never actually gotten ash out of a vape but theres been a few times with the vaporgenie where it was blackened and a foul smoke was what I got.:/