Synthesis and Characterization of the Diastereomers of HHC and H4CBD

Abstract

The characterization of any compound is important in the field of chemistry. As the field of cannabinoid chemistry grows so does the need for the characterization of new cannabinoids or rare cannabinoids that gain popularity within the consumer and research fields. Hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) a hydrogenated analogue of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), also found in trace amounts naturally within the Cannabis sativa plant, has been gaining attention and popularity within the cannabis industry. Hexahydrocannabidiol (H4CBD) is a synthetic hydrogenated analogue to cannabidiol (CBD). Identifying the diastereomers of the cannabinoids with instrumentation plays a huge role within the chemistry field adding valuable information of the structure and the parameters for others to identify such cannabinoids. Elucidation and characterization of HHC and H4CBD were performed using current analytical techniques such as 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), effectively characterizing both the diastereomers of HHC and H4CBD.