THC - A Crystalline

THC – A Crystalline is almost pure THC

DO NOT TRY TO MAKE THIS AT HOME!

Engineers have devised an extraction method that creates an extract that is 99.96% pure THC. Just to get an idea, most “dank” bud you smoke, even medicalized, is topping out at around 30% THC content.

The Process

The process starts with a cannabis extract. Then, the cannabis extract is mixed with acetic and hexane. Acetic is a colorless organic compound, found in vinegar. Hexane is a alkane ( any series of saturated hydrocarbons including methane, ethane, and propane ) of six carbon atom. Hexane is used to extract cooking oils from seeds, for cleansing and degreasing a variety of items. These chemicals work together to dissolve all plant matter, while preserving the THC.Once the extract, hexane, and acid are acquainted, they are put through a traditional filtration device. The solution is then put through a rotary evaporator, oh… sorry you don’t know what a rotary evaporator is?  Me neither, so I googled it.Rotary evaporators (also called "rotavaps") are used to remove solvents from reaction mixtures and can accommodate volumes as large as 3 liters. They are found in almost every organic laboratory, since they allow performing this task very quickly. [parallax] [/parallax] Now back to the topic at hand – the rotary evaporator use varying degrees of pressure, heat, and motion to pull apart the different materials in a liquid.  Once the rotary evaporator is finished its cycle, a mixture called tetrahydrocannabinolic acid is left.Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid is is a biosynthetic precursor of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active component of cannabis. When purified, it forms a crystal which is unstable in the presence of acids, heat, oxygen, and/or light.To refine the mixture more, a process called chromatography is needed. Chromatography is the separation of a mixture by passing it in solution or suspension or as a vapor (as in gas chromatography) through a medium in which the components move at different rates.The purpose of chromatography is used to remove impure elements from the solution.  During this process a few more chemicals are added to the chromatography, Sephadex and dichloromethane to be exact, followed by chloroform.The THC – A Crystalline isn’t pure just yet. Those crystals will still have unsafe chemicals like chloroform in it. SO, back into the rotary evaporator it goes. Then the crystals are dissolved in methanol. A traditional filter is used to take away the rest of the leftover residue. THEN to get that pesky methanol out, it is put back into the rotary evaporator once more. [parallax] [/parallax] Finally, the crystals are left to dissolve in pentane, For the final time, all of that goes back in the rotary evaporator. The crystals you take after the final rotary evaporator is the THC-A Crystalline you are looking for.This process is extremely complicated for the average joe. Also the equipment needed is expensive so again, just a reminder, don't try making this.