Major
Forensic Science
Anticipated Graduation Year
2023
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
The cannabis plant (Cannabis Sativa L., aka hemp) produces a variety of compounds covering numerous chemical classes such as cannabinoids, terpenes, and terpenoids. Cannabinoids (acidic and neutral) are responsible for producing psychoactive and other pharmacological effects. In the first stage of this project, cannabinoid acids were studied due to their ability to bind to the spike protein of the COVID-19 virus and thus inhibit cell entry, replication, and infection. In this second phase, we expanded the number and types of consumer products studied. We applied our methodology to analyze three new consumer products in several matrices containing various combinations of CBD, CBDA, and CBGA. Since the cannabinoid acids are prone to decarboxylate at elevated temperatures and revert to their neutral counterparts (ex. CBDA to CBD), they are found formulated mainly into non-smokable consumer products. The elevated temperatures used in GC-EI-MS analysis necessitated the addition of protective functionality to active –OH groups via derivatization. This methodology proved to be effective at preventing decarboxylation and allowed the acids to survive the analysis. We also investigated the use of a new derivatizing reagent (MSTFA vs. BSTFA).
Faculty Mentors & Instructors
Dr. James DeFrancesco, Director of Forensic Science
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Identification of Cannabinoid Acids and Neutrals in Consumer Products via GC-EI-MS
The cannabis plant (Cannabis Sativa L., aka hemp) produces a variety of compounds covering numerous chemical classes such as cannabinoids, terpenes, and terpenoids. Cannabinoids (acidic and neutral) are responsible for producing psychoactive and other pharmacological effects. In the first stage of this project, cannabinoid acids were studied due to their ability to bind to the spike protein of the COVID-19 virus and thus inhibit cell entry, replication, and infection. In this second phase, we expanded the number and types of consumer products studied. We applied our methodology to analyze three new consumer products in several matrices containing various combinations of CBD, CBDA, and CBGA. Since the cannabinoid acids are prone to decarboxylate at elevated temperatures and revert to their neutral counterparts (ex. CBDA to CBD), they are found formulated mainly into non-smokable consumer products. The elevated temperatures used in GC-EI-MS analysis necessitated the addition of protective functionality to active –OH groups via derivatization. This methodology proved to be effective at preventing decarboxylation and allowed the acids to survive the analysis. We also investigated the use of a new derivatizing reagent (MSTFA vs. BSTFA).