ok, here's a reaction I was thinking about, and was wondering what would be a good catalyst for it:
pulegone + olivetol ----> THC
from the limited patents I could find with similar reactions, a lewis acid such as ferrous chloride seems like it would work. my organic chemistry is really lacking though, and was wondering if anyone else has some insight or guidance they feel like sharing.
olivetol is supposedly contained in certain lichens, and pulegone is an extract from pennyroyal that I imagine can be distilled at low temperatures under really strong vacuum. now, would the THC obtained from pulegone even be active in the brain without the double bond at the 9 position that makes delta-9-THC? if so, would it be more active than the delta-9-THC, which can theoretically be made with olivetol and a citrus oil extract similar to pulegone but with the double bond?
personally I don't even like THC and don't care to make it, but I would really like to find out for a friend of mine who wants to know, and there are probably several people on the hive that would be interested.
If pacman influenced us, we'd glide around dark rooms eating pills and listen to repetitive music.