Cannabinoids, and the heat that changes them.

Cannabinoids are the active compounds in cannabis. Raw flower holds most of them as acids like THCa; heat turns them into THC and CBD. Here are the 16 you will see on a lab report.

Heat slider

Turn THCa into THC with heat

Raw flower holds THCa, the acid form. Drag the heat up: past 220 °F the COOH group leaves as CO2 and what stays behind is THC.

Heat: 70 °F

70 °F: raw, the acid still carries its COOH group

31.77% THCa × 0.877 = 27.86% THC, plus 0.75% Δ9-THC already there, equals 28.61% Total THC.

Worked example. 31.7675% THCa × 0.877 = 27.86% THC, plus 0.754% Δ9-THC already there, equals 28.61% Total THC. Numbers from a real SC Labs flower report (Skunk Gas). The 0.877 is the molar-mass ratio of THC to THCa: the CO2 that leaves weighs about 12.3% of the acid.

Acids: what the flower holds, and what heat makes of them

THCa THCa acid form of THC, heat turns it into THC none Δ9-THC THC active form, from THCa plus heat psychoactive

CBDa CBDa acid form of CBD, heat turns it into CBD none CBD CBD active form, from CBDa plus heat none

CBGa CBGa acid form of CBG, heat turns it into CBG none CBG CBG active form, from CBGa plus heat none

CBNa CBNa acid form of CBN, heat turns it into CBN none CBN CBN from THC as it ages, or CBNa plus heat mild

CBCa CBCa acid form of CBC, heat turns it into CBC none CBC CBC active form, from CBCa plus heat none

THCVa THCVa acid form of THCV, heat turns it into THCV none THCV THCV active form, from THCVa plus heat mild

CBDVa CBDVa acid form of CBDV, heat turns it into CBDV none CBDV CBDV active form, from CBDVa plus heat none

The other two: formed by light or by rearranging another cannabinoid

Δ8-THC Δ8-THC a milder relative of Δ9-THC mild CBL CBL what CBC becomes under light none

Educational information only, not medical advice. Terpene and cannabinoid effects are an active area of research and vary by person, product, and dose. Cannabis is for adults 21+ where legal.

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