Great info about decarboxylation rates for raw cannabinoids

[pug1010]

g'day all

 

was trying to find out about temps and timings for decarbing kief and came across this very informative thread ...

https://forum.grasscity.com/threads/heated-natural-decarboxylation-testing-project-for-thc-high-cbd.1317888/

 

this fella basically has used his own cash to get multiple tests done on cannabinoid levels during different types of decarboxylation. of greatest interest to me, was how cannabinoids naturally decarbed in tintures at about the 3-4 month mark - making the need for heating redundant. this natural process allows for a full entourage effect, with limited loses of terpene and cannabinoids.

 

this is a list of his experiments, if interested:

https://forum.grasscity.com/threads/another-tincture-thread-try-it-youll-like-it.1102315/page-464#post-22424883

 

[RC.]

Yep, I learned heaps from Psychedelic Sam's threads.

 

I have read every post in his threads and followed the methods and watched as it all progressed, I still keep up.

 

They seem to have the process nailed for de-carb and have recently tested the Nova by Ardent to see how it goes.

 

The results with it are spot on so far, of which I am glad because I have been using one for several months now.

 

It really is worth reading or perusing.

[pug1010]

nice one RC.

 

that's a lot of interesting reading and valuable information.

 

next time round, i'm going to try his 190 dragon tincture with raw kief at a few different strengths.

[itchybromusic]

4th Dec 2020

https://www.analyticalcannabis.com/news/scientists-pinpoint-ideal-decarboxylation-conditions-to-maximize-thc-and-cbd-312843?fbclid=IwAR3hZmoXkMNYbBMD_EFhvXNbl-8gC9sUOi8IUxl8QLR4ecm2VrJkVSVTcDw

 

Scientists Pinpoint Ideal Decarboxylation Conditions to Maximize THC and CBD

 

For producers of cannabis oils and edible products, precise manufacturing is key. While the heating of cannabis flower and vape oils handily decarboxylates the cannabinoid acids into

their more biologically active forms – tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) – items that are not heated during consumption need to be decarboxylated carefully by producers first,

before being finished and packaged into their final forms.

 

But how do you know if you are efficiently decarboxylating your product to produce maximal amounts of THC and CBD? A new comparative study from researchers at New Zealand’s

government innovation agency Callaghan Innovations has identified ideal decarboxylation conditions for cannabis flower that maximize the output of THC and CBD in the final product.

 

Published in the journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, the researchers used two kinetic models to study the effects of different variables, and found that longer reaction

times and lower temperatures were most favorable for CBD conversion, while a shorter reaction at higher temperatures produced maximal concentrations of THC.

 

The chemistry behind cannabinoid formation

 

Although THC and CBD are normally thought of as the two major cannabinoids present in cannabis, there is actually very little of either compound present in raw, freshly harvested material.

All cannabinoids in the cannabis plant start out their life as cannabigerolic acid (CBGA), an acidic molecule affectionately dubbed the “mother of all cannabinoids.” As the plant grows

and matures, enzymes unique to each cannabis strain begin to convert amount of this CBGA into amounts of other acidic precursor compounds: tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA),

cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), and cannabichromenic acid (CBCA).
 

The decarboxylation of CBGA into CBG, CBD, and THC. Source: Analytical Cannabis.

 

 

These acidic compounds are non-intoxicating, but they are relatively unstable. THC and CBD are readily formed from THCA and CBDA when the plant material is exposed to heat

or some other force capable of triggering decarboxylation, where the acidic molecule loses its carbonyl group and converts into the neutral form of the cannabinoid.

This is why you cannot chew on some fresh cannabis and expect to get high; the heat from smoking or vaporization is what decarboxylates the acidic precursors in cannabis flower

to form the more biologically-active cannabinoids that can cross the blood/brain barrier and exert their psychoactive and therapeutic effects.

 

Go low and slow for maximum CBD

 

Despite the importance of the decarboxylation reaction in optimizing the yield of biologically active cannabinoids extracted from the plant, there are very little data on this reaction

that is currently publicly available, the New Zealand researchers say.

 

In their new study, the researchers looked to detail the effects of several parameters – including temperature, reaction time, oxygen exposure, and the volume of plant material – on

the decarboxylation of THCA, CBDA, and CBGA as hemp plant material was heated. They studied a temperature range of 80-160°C and reaction times of between five minutes to

two hours. They then fitted the subsequent data to two different kinetic models in order to predict the optimum conditions for each reaction.

 

The team confirmed that the decarboxylation reactions follow first-order kinetics – meaning that the rate of the reaction depends on the concentration of only one of the reactants,

the respective acid precursor. The decarboxylation of THCA into THC was also found to be significantly faster than the other two decarboxylation reactions.

 

The ideal reaction conditions to maximize conversion of THCA into THC involved high temperatures (160°C), but only for around seven minutes. Beyond this, the THC concentration

begins to fall dramatically, as the cannabinoid is lost to evaporation or starts to break down into cannabinol (CBN) and other unidentified byproducts.

 

In contrast, the kinetic model suggests that the ideal conditions to maximize CBD concentration are heating at 80°C for around 25 hours. But heating at 90°C for half as

long would also be suitable, as this method halves the total reaction time with only a small drop-off in maximum final CBD concentration.

 

Oxygen exposure and material quantity also important

 

In a second set of experiments, the researchers heated the hemp material at 140°C inside sealed foil pouches that had been flushed with nitrogen. In a second test,

the team used the same temperature and hemp mass, but placed the material in an open beaker exposed to the air.

 

The samples in the sealed bags produced only very minimal amounts of CBN, a known oxidation product of THC, compared to the samples that were heated in open

air. Interestingly, the decarboxylation of THCA in the nitrogen atmosphere pouches occurred faster than in those exposed to the air, and the degradation of THC and

CBD into other unwanted byproducts slowed down significantly.

 

This would suggest that extraction methods such as supercritical CO2 extraction, which by nature exposes the plant material to very little oxygen in a sealed system,

could be a useful way to preserve as high a concentration of neutral cannabinoids as possible.

 

The researchers also assessed whether the amount of hemp being decarboxylated would have any effect on the results. They found that greater volumes of material

generally resulted in a slower rate of reaction. They attribute this effect to the slower heat transfer rates through a deeper bed of organic material, and possibly also the

reduced amount of surface area that would be exposed to air circulation and evaporation. To optimize the decarboxylation reaction, then, producers can consider heating

their plant material in smaller batches.

[Olmanmullerisme]

Yep, I learned heaps from Psychedelic Sam's threads.

 

I have read every post in his threads and followed the methods and watched as it all progressed, I still keep up.

 

They seem to have the process nailed for de-carb and have recently tested the Nova by Ardent to see how it goes.

 

The results with it are spot on so far, of which I am glad because I have been using one for several months now.

 

It really is worth reading or perusing.

Thanks RC ! Don’t want to smoke/vape anymore . Been using ExtremeQ vaporiser which has been great but at 65 I think I’d like to give my lungs a break haha . Was thinking about the fx all in one from ardent but wanted to see if anyone else had used their products . I’m ordering one today , can’t wait . Thanks again