I have recently screened about 1500 plant samples for D8THC along with a similar number of concentrates. While we did find some concentrate samples with D8, none of the plants contained any D8 (method had a detection limit of ~0.5%).
Has anyone ever heard of or seen D8 naturally occurring in a cannabis plant? Is it even possible?
Apologies if this has already been discussed/is common knowledge. I couldn’t find any info here or other places…
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Nope, but thanks for verifying
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It is naturally occurring, but a LOD of .5% isn’t going to catch it with any of the strains I’ve seen it present in. .2 is the highest I’ve seen
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Yes, I’ve seen it in amounts like 0.1%, 0.2%.
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d8-THC is present in most cannabis flower. Typically less than 0.5%.
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I’ll give you points stating your LOD, but I’m going to deduct them immediately, because someone actually selling an analytical device should use more precision in their language.
you didn’t detect D8 in flower above your LOD is a different statement than
given that you’re not selling test results, I’ll give you that it’s not as egregious as telling folks there is no D9 in their D8.
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Is your d9 thc and thca lod .5% also?
Our detection limit depends sample preparation, like an HPLC. For normal plant material D9 is also 0.5%, but we can get down to 0.05% at minimum, usually for testing hemp for compliance.
@cyclopath, thanks for the correction, you’re definitely right. I might take it a step further, it’s actually our LOQ that is 0.5%, but if you look at a chromatogram you can see peaks significantly lower than than (~5-10x) but given baseline noise we can’t easily quantify them. I have looked at maybe 50 chromatograms and didn’t see a d8 peak but that’s a pretty small set of samples…
Anyway, thanks everyone for the input!
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Let’s look at the things that make D8- heat and acid. If a sample is stored improperly or has residual acid residue, could that lead to conversion to D8 when tested?
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Then take it a step further… does the acid in your mobile phase cause any sort of conversion during the run?
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My mobile phase is actually slightly alkaline so that wouldn’t be it. If anything it probably just converts partly during the growing process from naturally occurring acids.
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I’m still not convinced the plant is producing it. I’m much more inclined to believe that there is a small amount of isomerization happening prior to testing.
If D8 was really a naturally occuring cannabinoid, there would be at least one strain that carries greater than trace amounts of the compound, right? We’ve encouraged the breeding for novel cannabinoids so much over the last decade that it’s curious there not being a D8 heavy strain.
@MagisterChemist, you have previously stated that D8 is a naturally occuring cannabinoid (produced by the living plant) based on your experience in testing. The statement you just made seems to contradict that, or am I misinterpreting some previous/current statements?
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Yeah, but how many would have thrown it out without analytics because it didn’t get them (as) high?
Only someone deliberately screening would see it.
It might take more than point mutations to alter the THCA synthase to the point where it catalyzed CBGA-> D8, but my understanding is that the D8 isomer is the lower energy of the two.
I’d start by docking D8 to all the sequenced cannabinoid syntheses to see which would make the best starting point. That might even reveal a proposed gain of function mod.
Probably have to do the (gain of function) mutagenesis in e.coil or yeast. assuming point mutations won’t cut it, so my go to of poisoned pollen chucking (ems mutagenesis) won’t work.
Because people working on advanced breeding don’t have testing done? Seems to me that plays a huge roll in selective breeding in the modern age.
I don’t buy that as a valid argument for why no breeders have developed a D8 heavy strain. Still love 'ya though! 
Edit: And with the argument you present, why have people bred for CBG, CBD, CBD-V, and every other cannabinoid that doesn’t get you high?! Didn’t get them high AND they specifically bred for it seems to be something plenty of growers have done, especially in the last few years.
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There is a fine distinction to be made here. If the plant does not produce it directly, but it naturally forms as a degradation product on the plant with no human intervention, is that naturally occuring or not? I would say yes.
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Naturally occuring isomer may be a more appropriate description. THC naturally degrades to CBN (albeit rather slowly). Would that make CBN a naturally occuring cannabinoid or isomer?
Addressed that as an edit while you were responding 
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I believe D8-THC is already present on the plant in the field. I don’t think it is forming from lab error. As far as whether the plant makes it enzymatically or whether it is all D9 that degraded from natural processes, I don’t know. I would consider both of those ‘naturally occurring’, however.
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And CBN? Do you feel the same?