Terpenes, aromatic organic hydrocarbons that contribute to the smell and taste of plants, are highly significant to the cannabis industry. Currently, conventional distillation is the preferred method of isolating these compounds. However, terpenes are lost during the process, causing the concentration to decrease. When extra terpenes are added, the concentration spikes above what is ideal. These terpenes are present naturally in a wide variety of plants. The peels of lemons and oranges, for example, contain (+)-limonene and apples contain terpinolene. The impact of microwave pretreatment on the extraction of terpenes from these model systems will be discussed as a cost-effective proof of concept for many applications involving the isolation of terpenes.

Investigating the impact of microwave pretreatment on the isolation of terpenes

ACS Spring 2022

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