Chemical and Physical Processes Regarding the Suspension of Tetrahydrocannabinol
My first experiment regarding the isolation of tetrahydrocannabinol is extremely rudimentary performed in a non sterile lab environment. Below I will describe the simple and efficient four step process.
Prerequisites:
Required Consumables:
1/8 oz cannabis indica, preferably high quality.
2 oz Bacardi Rum, Silver – 151 proof
Required Equipment:
Particulate strainer
4oz Erlenmeyer flask
Thermometer
Large pot
Shallow Pyrex pan, but aluminum foil may be used.
Convection heat source (oven)
Contact heat source (stove top)
2 oz Eyedropper bottle, Amber
Basic knowledge of chemistry, physics and laboratory safety.
Process Summary:
1. Chop cannabis very fine, 1/8 oz. Remove stems and other non-beneficial pieces.
2. Place in a shallow pan and bake at 325°F for 5 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and place cannabis in 2 oz of 151 proof ethyl alcohol. (In this case I am using rum.) (use a small Erlenmeyer Flask)
4. Simmer in a water bath for 20 minutes. Maintain temperature of the rum/cannabis mixture between 170°F and 180°F.
5. Strain the mixture and store.
Dosage:
To be announced.
Process details—references and rationalizations:
1. Chop the cannabis
More surface area gives means a faster and more efficient extraction.
2. Bake the cannabis.
This converts THCA to THC via a decarboxylation reaction.
In whole-plant cannabis, THC content is expressed as THCA (tetrahydrocannabolic acid) prior to decarboxylation into THC, which takes place when cannabis is heated during cooking, and smoked or vaporized ingestion. THCA is a mild analgesic and anti-inflammatory but does not have good affinity with our CB1 receptors, so in order to make a THC-rich tincture that has many of the same therapeutic effects as smoked ingestion (including rapid absorption, quick relief and ease of self-titration), we must convert the THCA in the plant matter into THC prior to extracting it through an alcohol soak. (from Vancouver Island Compassion Society http://thevics.com/cannamist.htm)
THC vaporizes at about 380°F. We want to heat the cannabis to convert THCA to THC, but keep the temperature under 380°F. That is why 325°F is used. Between four and five minutes your oven (and house) will start to smell very strongly. This is the time to remove the cannabis from the local heating source.
Notice also that there is considerable misinformation regarding the heating of cannabis. It is true that you don't have to heat it to extract both THC and THCA, but the amount of THC in whole plant preparations is relatively small compared to after decarboxylation of the THCA. So if you want to maximize the strength of your tincture you must heat the cannabis prior to extraction.
3. Use the highest proof alcohol available.
Where I live this is Bacardi 151. Logically, the more potent the alcohol, the more efficient the lipid extraction will be, therefore the more efficient the THC/THCA extraction will be.
4. Simmer the mixture.
This is one of the areas that seems to be most debated. Many recipes call for placing the cannabis (unbaked of course) into the alcohol and waiting 2 – 6 weeks. The main concern with heating the alcohol is that it is “explosive” (this is not exactly true...it is however flammable).
The purpose of the simmering is to heat the alcohol mixture to improve extraction rates and efficiency Heating during extraction increases the motion of the molecules (A deduction based upon basic physics/chemistry) and drastically decreases extraction times. The boiling point of pure ethanol is 173°F (78°C). We will use the water bath to heat the rum/cannabis mixture to just below the boiling point of the ethanol.
Heating the alcohol mixture can be done very safely using a hot water bath. You will need an accurate thermometer. Place about 1 inch of water in a wide, vertical-edged pan (9” diameter x 3” high). Bring the water to a low simmer. The rum/cannabis mixture should be in a small (1 pint) flask. Since evaporation is the goal here, the flask should not be stoppered due to an explosive risk.
Put the thermometer into the flask and place into the simmering water bath. Bring the temperature of the rum/cannabis mixture to about 170°F. The alcohol should be just barely boiling.
You should have the oven fan on high. You will notice that any alcohol fumes are mixed with water vapor from the water bath and vented out through the fan. This combined with the fact that you are trying not to boil the ethanol makes the process quite safe.
5. Strain and store.
When you are finished with the extraction you will be left with about 1oz of cannabanoid/ethyl alcohol suspension (after you have strained the extract.) Notice that one ounce of the alcohol has evaporated. See the tips below for a good way to strain the tincture.
A standard eyedropper will transfer about 1ml (or 1 gram) of liquid. There are 29 milliliters in one ounce. So you should end up with about 30 or so full eyedroppers (30 milliliters) of said suspension.
My original proof of concept was an old "Green Dragon" recipe, that while efficient, was unmeasured and not empirically sound. My goal is to make dosage much more condensed/potent as well as make production more practical.
