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Updated: Sep 30, 2025

Ultrasonic-Assisted Extraction of Cannabidiolic Acid from Cannabis Biomass
Published on: May 27, 2022
Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinolic Acid B: A Mechanism for its Formation in Cannabis
1PerkinElmer Health Sciences, Inc., Waltham, Massachusetts, USA.
Abstract:
There appears to be consensus among Cannabis biologists that delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid A (THCA-A) is the exclusive product of the enzyme THCA synthase. This then leaves an open question for formation of the THCA-A structural isomer, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid B (THCA-B), discovered as a minor product in Cannabis in 1969. With no reasonable biochemical pathway to explain the presence of THCA-B in Cannabis, a synthetic route was next considered. Using established literature precedent, a photochemical mechanism has been proposed for the conversion of THCA-A to cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), followed by conversion of CBDA to THCA-B employing bond-breaking and bond-forming reactions.
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