Cannabidiol to THC - simple

[zwackelmann]

Cannabidiol (CBD), the main cannabinoid constituent of fibre hemp has been converted (isomerized) to delta-9 and delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol employing a variety of conditions.
Many of these  procedures require chemicals that are hard to come by such as dichloromethane (DCM) and boron trifluoride etherate.
The following is a simple and fast procedure for the synthesis of delta-8- or delta-9-THC from CBD:

Dissolve 1g of CBD in 10ml 0.005molar H2SO4 in glacial acetic acid.
Let solution stand at room temperature.
After 3 hours CBD has been converted into 52% delta-9-THC and 2% delta-8-THC.
After 3 days a mixture of 15% delta-9-THC, 54% delta-8-THC, 10% delta-8-iso-THC and 10% CBD has formed.
Work up:
Pour into water (100ml or more) and add cautiously with stirring (foaming!) enough sodium bicarbonate (15g should do) to raise the pH above 7. Extract with petrol ether, wash with water, evaporate solvent to get mixture of starting CBD and predominantly delta-9- or delta-8-THC with some other byproducts depending on the reaction time.
Can chromatograph on silica gel with 1 to 2% ether in petrol ether for purification.

CBD can also be converted into delta-9-THC with anhydrous ZnCl2 at 150° without solvent (perform reaction best in vacuum as product is sensitive to oxidation):

Heat 0.5g CBD with 0.09g anhydrous ZnCl2 under vacuum with stirring.
After 2 hours 40 to 50% delta-9-THC have formed.

[sYnThOmAtIc]

I really hope this isn't something new to you!!!

THis is like reposting brightstars XTC recipe. Old news.........

If you want a real project, try finding out what my friend gave me once called "red hash oil"  it really was red and one lil resin ball made you trip after smoking it... He said it was a THC isomer but was unsure which one.

Delta-5 acetyl maybe?

[Lucid_Dreamer]

I thought that acetic anhydride was needed, nevertheless I am a bit more interested in the Zncl2 thing. Which is more active delta-8 or 9? I guess the h2so4 and glacial acetic acid aint so bad adter considering the vaccum thing and all, I'm glad you posted this, I was completely in the dark about this stuff.

Hey synthomatic, can you do a favor for me and link to where I can find out more about it?

[Vitus_Verdegast]

Acetic anhydride treatment of THC will give O-acetyl-THC, which is of lower potency compared to THC:

Post 342953

(Rhodium: "R. Mechoulam rates higher than D. Gold", Novel Discourse)

Post 341670

(Lilienthal: "ohmygod", Novel Discourse)

More info on the isomerization of cannabidiol and the extraction of hash oil with eg. butane or hexane can be had by UTFSE on the term 'cannabidiol'.

[zwackelmann]

I hoped there was something to learn from the analytical data of my post:
The same conditions that allow ringclosure from CBD to delta-9-THC also promote the shift of the double-bond to the more stable delta-8-position (this in dibenzopyran-numbering).
Carefully controlled conditions allow the isolation of primarily delta-9-THC.
The reaction of a CBD-rich cannbis extract with a lot of H2SO4 without solvent at elevated temperature will convert all CBD to delta-8-THC. Actually I thought of writing up some about this (which catalysts, reaction time, temperature, solvents and side-reactions... in a separate post if there was enough time to collect some more data and if there was enough interest
by the bees.

[Antibody2]

zwackleman - Ab2 would be interested, although the H2SO4 isomerization is nothing new, the details (conversion rates etc.) you provide are very interesting.

It was the very 1st bit of chemistry Ab2 ever attempted, and he was always unsure whether he had accomplished anything other than waste some time in the garage, back in those days we reluxed pet ether/H2SO4/CBD in an open jar on a space heater.  

[sYnThOmAtIc]

That was my first bit o' chemistry too....

Just soaked 1/2 lb of some decent reg in colemans concentrated with a fan in the garage. Once the mix was concentrated I'd add a drop of acid and then distill off the colemans. Took the residue up in a 50/50 water/alcohol with 5%/wt naoh then acidified the naoh layer with hcl and extracted with more colemans. Usually gave about twenty grams of nice oil.

That is the typical red oil method. I'm the one who turned my friend on to making hash oil and he made a red hash oil that made me see shit! I wish i knew what he had done. He said he only tried an isomerization on the oil.. I don't know wat was really done.

The only other time I have tripped on weed was when I ate a pretty big glob of some h2so4 isomerized oil which was heated up to a temperature (forgot what temp 160c?) afterward to supposedly to start a reaction to make it active for ingestion.. I have one thing to say about this myth.. I have eaten tons of oil and never got anything but that spicy bitter flavor from cold extract oils. The ones that were done with a soxhlet and addition of a drop of h2so4 before removal of solvent (distillation 120c) are the only oils I ever got any effect from eating. Though, it is hard to remember details accurately. I think I would have remembered trippin on weed.

Post what sources? On what? The delta five acetyl? I'm not sure if it even is delta five that is supposed to be super potent. I read a pretty good articel years ago that specified each isomer its equivelant (delta-1 = delta-9) stuff like that, and their potency. I believe delta-1 and delta-3 were the most potent (delta-6, delta-9?), memory a lil fuzzy. And then there was some dude who wrote a book that suggested that an acetylated isomer would be even more potent than delta-1, like 10-100x's, don't remember specifics.

I just want to know what it was that made me trip! I was hoping that someone here would know what isomer would do suc ha thing. Like I said I got some pretty cool visuals once from regular pure (delta-9,delta-1), but that was like a glob the size of a small bean/big pea. Dunno, but that read hash oil didn't take but a dab and it was WAY more visual? Anybody here ever tripped on thc before?

[bong]

"Many of these  procedures require chemicals that are hard to come by such as dichloromethane (DCM) and..."

If you are in Australia, you can probably buy the DCM from any hardware store. It comes in a can of 80% DCM and 20% another chemical. The can is also found in the painting section for $10/0.5L. I can really reamember the product name, but it is real common. It is used as a paint stripper. I am not sure if the 20% chemical will mess the reaction up, but it may be another option for some Aussie bees. I guarantee that you can find it.  

[SPISSHAK]

these were the two processes I used one was to reflux for two hours an alcoholic extract of oil in ethanol tirated with a small amount of acid the w/w ratio was 2000/1 or add 1ml of standard 35% hcl to a liter of ethanol.
Follow this with nuetralization of the acids and filtration.
evaporation of the alcohols gave predominantly delta 3
using h2so4 same protocol just add about 5 drops(h2so4) per liter.
you get delta 9 isomers this way.