The Cannabis sativa plant contains over 100 derivatives that can be extracted from the leaves, these analogs are also known as cannabinoids. Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the two most recognized compounds and is known to the general public as the non-psychoactive component of cannabis. CBD has been claimed to treat a wide range of medical ailments. On the contrary of CBD, the psychoactive form, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are very similar in structure and the only defining factor between the two is a single functional group. In most commercial products, the two compounds are usually coupled and CBD is hypothesized to never be by itself due to isomerization. It has been hypothesized, under certain conditions, CBD can interconvert to it’s psychoactive form THC due to the similarities in structure. The field of interest in this study is to determine a relative conversion rate of CBD to THC, specifically under acidic conditions through an acid-catalyzed cyclization mechanism. The experimental design of this project has two main components: one being an in-situ addition of acid to laboratory-grade CBD dissolved in methanol and monitoring the changes by using UV-Vis Spectroscopy, and the second being a qualitative method to determine how the compound is altering as the amount of acid uptake increases, using instruments such as hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance (HNMR). For the UV-Vis spectroscopic studies, the peak for CBD appears at 210 nm whereas the peak for THC appears at 275 nm. This study is tracking the progression of the conversion over a period of 20 days and comparing the absorbance values detected which will determine the relative concentrations present of both CBD and THC. This transformation will then be verified by using H NMR by identifying the hydrogen atoms present in the samples. The significance of the study is to further understand the behavior of CBD itself, and will also contribute to expanding the understanding of the spatial configurations between the two cannabinoids. Determining if CBD can alter the configuration to THC under acidic conditions will further explain the understanding of how the compound works for medicinal purposes.

Spectroscopic study of the conversion rate of cannabidiol (CBD) into other cannabinoid derivatives under acidic conditions

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.