High CBN Conversion Methods

I have messed around with attempting high yielding conversions of THC to CBN and THCA to CBN. I have used everything from UV reactor to cooking the shit out it for days. Tried some older chemical methods with sulfur. Anyone have any experience with high conversion rates. Highest I got was only 15% CBN.

11 Likes

Iodine seems to be the route
Check search engine here

6 Likes

I have gotten to 23 % with nano bubbles and pure oxigen

12 Likes

This is in 3 days with a vacuumpan a recovery unit a nano bubbler and pure oxigen in a etho solution

crude oil

9 Likes

Nice :+1: I have heard about that, but never tried it. I want to get high conversion. Some will buy CBN for high $$$.

1 Like

I was trying to get cbd quinone actualy but not a singel. Lab can test for that
But i think i have Some for cannabinoid content unless broken do to misterys
Make sence cbd was at 17% When i started

3 Likes

If you make or buy CBD Quinone you can give it to the lab as a certified reference material and they can analyze against what they gave you. Upgrade your local lab yourself.

5 Likes

I am in the netherlands things are Some what shady overhere but i have iT all sorted by summer i hope
:pray:

7 Likes

Once You have high content how do You plan on seperating ?
Distilation ?

A birdie says 1L cannabinoid distillate to 200ml toluene, 1.62g iodine. Reflux 60min per L. Wash with aqueous sodium thiosulfate(brine wash style), remove aqueous layer (repeat till clean), then rotovap toluene.

…but what does that stupid bird know?

74 Likes

There is a paper, Iodine-Promoted Aromatization of p -Menthane-Type Phytocannabinoids, on Journal of Natural Products ( J. Nat. Prod., 2018, 81 (3), pp 630–633, DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.7b00946) that gives a procedure on how to oxidize the cyclohexene to benzene. Search for it…the procedure has been posted on here before.

10 Likes

Now for sourcing the iodine… Though that’s much less iodine than what I initially thought was used in this process.

4 Likes

Yes, the paper uses 2mol of iodine for 1mol of THC. If you could use such a small amount, then this might be more worthwhile.

2 Likes

I got pure iodine crystals from Amazon. I used them for a different reason but a little goes a long ways. The ones I bought are discontinued but here is a link to another Amazon supplier.
https://www.amazon.com/Lemental-Crystals-Chemicals-Experiment-AdvancedShop/dp/B079CJDKQ7/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1548736608&sr=8-5&keywords=iodine+crystal

5 Likes

Does this birdie see any major advantages to
using toluene instead of other solvents?

4 Likes

false, that stoichiometry does not add up.

1 Like

I tend to avoid to many reactions in the Chase for one compound. As I have done this in attempts to clean distillate, etc and realized the hard way the more steps and conversions, usually the lower the yield. But if it works it works. I want to try the iodine, but what form was it in? In solution? Pure crystal?

Oxygen regenerates HI into I2, so perhaps this method may yet be viable.

2 Likes

I’d typically agree with you there, but if you can get 3-4x the price per gram for the target compound as you could its precursors, even something like a 50% yield still puts you in the black.

Speaking of, does anyone even have any solid market rates for CBN isolate or high CBN extract per kilogram?

2 Likes

Molecular Iodine (I2) is a solid. Where are you located at? I have some free time and can help make structural modifications to either CBD or THC.

5 Likes