Harvest & Curing Water cure / decarboxylation - a stoner's theory

[briman]

here is the right time and temp guys and gals...250* for 30 minutes!!
https://www.autoflower.org/f67/decarboxylation-graph-15572.html

 

[Futt Dupp]

Thanks for posting that briman, it's an excellent resource. It's what started me down this road. I read a patent application filed in 2003 regarding a process to decarboxylate weed,and extract the cannabinoids for medical applications. They describe the process as:

• step 1 comprises heating chopped cannabis (2-3mm) at 100-150°C for sufficient time to allow decarboxylation;
• step 2 comprises CO[SUB]2[/SUB] extraction using:
  1. a) a coarse powder (the particles are passed through a 3mm mesh);
  2. b) a packing density of 0.3; and
  3. c) supercritical conditions of 600 bar at 35°C for 4 hours, although other combinations of temp and pressure ranging from 10-35°C and 60-600 bar (both super critical and sub critical conditions) could, it is acknowledged, be used; and
• step 3 comprises conducting an ethanolic precipitation at -20°C for 24 hours and removing the waxy material by filtration.

The application states the following about decarb:

THC and CBD are the principle bioactive constituents in Cannabis. However, these constituents are present as the biologically inactive carboxylic acids in Cannabis plants. In order to extract THC or CBD from cannabis plant material, it is necessary to convert the storage precursor compounds of THCA and CBDA into their more readily extractable and pharmacologically active forms. THCA and CBDA slowly decarboxylate naturally over time. The traditional way to increase rate of decarboxylation is by the application of heat. However, THCA is converted not only to THC, but also to another cannabinoid, cannabinol (CBN)

Decarboxylation of cannabinoid acids is a function of time and temperature, thus at higher temperatures a shorter period of time will be taken for complete decarboxylation of a given amount of cannabinoid acid. In selecting appropriate conditions for decarboxylation consideration must, however, be given to minimising thermal degradation of the desirable, pharmacological cannabinoids into undesirable degradation products, particularly thermal degradation of THC to cannabinol (CBN).

They say their tests show 105C (220F) for 1-2 hours is best, because higher temperatures speed up the conversion of THC to CBN to the point that THC is being broken down faster than it's being made. They claim at least 97% decarboxylation with no more than 5% conversion to CBN.

Link to patent application:
http://www.google.com/patents/EP1536810B1?cl=en