HOW IS HEMP-DERIVED DELTA 9 THC MADE?
Delta 9 THC is the chief naturally occurring chemical in cannabis plants. It has intoxicating properties and will get you high. However, it can cause feelings of happiness, improve sensory perception, boost creativity, and increase appetite. Here is how it's made.
Chromatography
In 1964, Mechoulam and Gaoni carried out the first isolation of pure Delta 9 THC from hemp. The first phase is to isolate it from a hexane hashish extract using column chromatography repeatedly on alumina and florisil. Next, purify it by preparing crystalline 3, 5-dinitrophenylurethane of THC. Basic hydrolysis comes next to get pure Delta 9 THC. Finally, use spectroscopic analysis and thin layer chromatography to test its purity.
Or isolate THC from the unrefined extracts of female fluorescence of Cannabis sativa non-indica and Cannabis sativa indica. Chromatograph the crude extracts over activated alumina to remove any impurities from coloring such as chlorophyll and carotenoids. Combine and concentrate the cannabinolic fractions to form "red" oil with a brownish tint. Use the countercurrent distribution method to purify the oil further. THC will be the end product of the process.
Or separate a hexane extract into neutral and acidic parts. Then, isolate THC from the acidic part of the extract. Chromatograph the acidic part on florosil or alumina that has been washed with acid. Elute the column with pentane-ether mixtures in the way of rising polarities. Additionally, elute THC with 15% ether in pentane. Carry out chromatography repeatedly by preparing the crystalline derivative (3,5-dinitrophenylurethane THC, m.p., 115-116° C.). Finally, follow up with hydrolysis.
Isolate THC Acid From Hashish
Shake the hexane extract, 2% of sodium sulphite, and 2% of NaOH inside an extraction funnel. Isolate the Delta 9 THC acid from hashish to prepare THC. H2SO4 makes the alkaline layer acidic and precipitates the cannabinoid acids. Extract the oily layer with ether and repeat the acid-base process of extraction. Heat the ether solutions that contain the acids in a sand bath of about 300 degrees Celsius. When the ether evaporates, keep the evaporating dish on the sand beach to cause decarboxylation of the Delta 9 THC acid.
Industrial Scale
Subject the crude plant material extract to column chromatography. First, mix the crude plant extract in an organic solvent containing part of the column's packing material. This is one method of placing the material on the column. Then, transfer the dried slurry to the top of the packed column. It is possible to apply the extract residue in the first elution solvent directly to the top of the packed column.
Elute the column with an organic solvent in a way that ensures the solvent has increasing polarity. Subject the parts that contain the central portion of THC to fractional distillation at a lower pressure. Collect the distillate in the range of boiling water temperature. The distillate will have more than 90% of Delta 9 THC by weight. Further purifying the distillate will lead to THC with purity levels greater than 95%.
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