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Comparison of Bulk and Compound‐Specific δ 13 C Isotope Ratio Analyses for the Discrimination Between Cannabis Samples *
Author(s) -
Muccio Zeland,
Wöckel Claudia,
An Yan,
Jackson Glen P.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of forensic sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.715
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4029
pISSN - 0022-1198
DOI - 10.1111/j.1556-4029.2011.02046.x
Subject(s) - cannabinol , isotope , cannabidiol , isotope analysis , stable isotope ratio , cannabis , kinetic isotope effect , chemistry , isotope ratio mass spectrometry , isotopes of carbon , isotope fractionation , analytical chemistry (journal) , fractionation , radiochemistry , chromatography , mass spectrometry , medicine , geology , deuterium , oceanography , physics , quantum mechanics , psychiatry
Abstract: Five marijuana samples were compared using bulk isotope analysis compound‐specific isotope ratio analysis of the extracted cannabinoids. Owing to the age of our cannabis samples, four of the five samples were compared using the isotope ratios of cannabinol (CBN), a stable degradation product of Δ 9 ‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Bulk δ 13 C isotope analysis discriminated between all five samples at the 95% confidence level. Compound‐specific δ 13 C isotope analysis could not distinguish between one pair of the five samples at the 95% confidence level. All the measured cannabinoids showed significant depletion in 13 C relative to bulk isotope values; the isotope ratios for THC, CBN, and cannabidiol were on average 1.6‰, 1.7‰, and 2.2‰ more negative than the bulk values, respectively. A more detailed investigation needs to be conducted to assess the degree fractionation between the different cannabinoids, especially after aging.