Experimental and ab initio investigation of the products of reaction from Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and the fast blue BB spot reagent in presumptive drug tests for cannabinoids

Rapid separation of cannabinoid isomer sets using differential mobility spectrometry and mass spectrometry

“…15 However, this method lacks specificity, as it typically leads to false positives for samples that contain other phenolic compounds. 16…”

“…15 However, this method lacks specificity, as it typically leads to false positives for samples that contain other phenolic compounds. 16 Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) is a technique that has been used to great effect for analysis of complex mixtures, and it can be used to separate isomeric compounds in milliseconds based on differences in their collision cross sections (CCSs). [17][18][19][20] Several variants of IMS exist, in which the electric field component, device geometry, and gas-phase properties are altered to address different target outcomes better (e.g., analyte separation, CCS measurement).…”

Color determination method and evaluation of methods for the detection of cannabinoids by thin‐layer chromatography (TLC)

“…This mix permits that the electron-rich drug component to donate electron density to the electron-poor component. If the energy associated with the elec-tron transfer process corresponds to the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum, the transfer may be visually manifested as a color change (positive test result)[37,38]. Δ 9 -THC has at its core a benzene ring containing four electron-donating substituents (two alkyl groups, one hydroxy group, and one alkoxy group) making it an electron-rich molecule.…”

“…The electronic effect on the phenolic compound is influenced by other functional groups that participate in the inductive or resonance effects and may indicate its reactive point of eliminating free-radicals due to the H-abstraction after electron transfer. The number of resonance structures or groups of electron donors connected in the ortho-or para-positions of the phenol portion may be related to the greater nucleophilicity of Δ 9 -THC[37,38].…”

Semiquantitative Screening of THC Analogues by Silica Gel TLC with an Ag(I) Retention Zone and Chromogenic Smartphone Detection

“…As colored products are formed by coupling FBBB to the para position relative to the phenolic group in slightly alkaline solution, the colorimetric reaction is highly selective for phenols, but does not distinguish individual members within the cannabinoid group. 33 There are many varieties of cannabis containing both THC analogues and CBD analogues, which are difficult to separate by traditional TLC methods. 34 The difference in affinity of Ag(I) ions with a single alkene C=C bond (weak) versus a 1,5-diene (strong) 21 was exploited here to allow the separation of these two groups.…”