Cannabis Analysis Flashcards
(60 cards)
What is the primary objective when analyzing cannabis?
The positive identification and quantification of THC/CBD ratio is a primary objective in the analysis of cannabis
What technique is used for the identification and quantification of THC and CBD?
Gas Chromatography/Mass Sepctrometry (GCMS)
What is medical marijuana often characterized by?
Higher levels of CBD
What is undesirable for medicinal marijuana? Why?
THC because it’s psychoactive.
What are some medicinal effects of cannabis?
Reduce symptoms such as
-Nausea
-Seizures
-Eye pressure and pain
What are some various analysis methods?
-Macroscopic and Microscopic Analysis
-Potency testing: THC/CBD ratio
-Safety: Mold/mildew/bacteria
-Pesticide residue
-Residual solvent analysis
-Extracted concentrates and Heavy metals
List the cannabinoids of interest
-Cannabichromene
-Cannabidiol
-Delta 8-THC
-Delta 9-THC
-Cannabigerol
-Cannabinol
-THC Acid
-Cannabidiolic Acid
What is CBD known for?
Therapeutic component
What is THC known for?
Psychoactive component
What is CBN (Cannabinol) known for?
Sample break down due to age or poor storage conditions
What is THC acid known for?
Native form of THC in material, not detected by GC.
What is Cannabidiolic Acid known for?
Native form of CBD in plant material, not detected by GC
What is the reaction from THCA to THC?
Decarboxylation
What is the reaction from CBDA to CBD?
Decarboxylation
What is the precursor of THC?
THCA
What is the precursor of CBD?
CBDA
Why is CBDA and THCA not detected by GC? Why is this not a problem?
Because it is converted to CBD and THC by the heating component of the GC. It’s not a problem because when it is smoked, it does the same thing.
What is not typically tested for pesticides, mold and mildew?
Edibles and extracted liquids
What does recreational cannabis have? Higher THC or higher CBD?
Higher THC
What are the two most succesful instrumentation techniques for potency testing?
GCMS and HPLC
What can HPLC detect? Why?
THCA and CBDA before conversion. Because it’s not heating.
What else can detect TCHA and CBDA?
LCMS
What can make a sample have a more accurate reporting for GC?
Heating the sample previously
Which method is faster for analysis: GCMS or HPLC?
GCMS