Quantitative determination of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol and delta 9-tetrahydro-cannabinolic acid in marihuana by high-pressure liquid chromatography
Kanter, S.L.; Musumeci, M.R.; Hollister, L.E.
Journal of Chromatography 171: 504-508
1979
ISSN/ISBN: 0021-9673 PMID: 232705 Document Number: 142797
Measurement of .delta.9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content of marihuana by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) is confounded by the fact that variable amounts of the THC are in the form of .delta.9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA). Failure to convert the latter material to the former by decarboxylation could lead to erroneously low determinations of THC content in marihuana samples, unlike the situation with ordinary GLC, in which the heat in the column is more than adequate to assure total decarboxylation. Decarboxylation procedures mentioned in the literature did not work. This report describes the decarboxylation procedure that was developed for measuring THC content of marihuana using normal-phase HPLC.