March 28, 2024, 05:44:07 AM
Forum Rules: Read This Before Posting


Topic: Methanol or Hexane for Cannabinoid analysis?  (Read 2924 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Username14

  • New Member
  • **
  • Posts: 3
  • Mole Snacks: +0/-0
Methanol or Hexane for Cannabinoid analysis?
« on: March 12, 2016, 01:57:55 PM »
Hi,
I recently completed a univerity lab in which we used both GC-MS and LC-MS to analyse a sample. We focused on three main cannabinoids in the sample - delta-9-THC, CBD and CBN. We used methanol as a solvent, and then repeated the practical using hexane as a solvent.
My questions are: What are the advantages of using methanol over hexane or vice versa?
Would one solvent be better than the other? Or is one solvent better for GC-MS and the other better for LC-MS?
Thanks   :)

Offline Babcock_Hall

  • Chemist
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Posts: 5594
  • Mole Snacks: +319/-22
Re: Methanol or Hexane for Cannabinoid analysis?
« Reply #1 on: March 12, 2016, 02:21:15 PM »
You must attempt a problem or give your thoughts before we can help you.  It is a Forum Rule.

Offline Username14

  • New Member
  • **
  • Posts: 3
  • Mole Snacks: +0/-0
Re: Methanol or Hexane for Cannabinoid analysis?
« Reply #2 on: March 12, 2016, 02:37:25 PM »
The only thing that I can think of is the different polarities, because Methanol is polar and Hexane is non polar. I know that the cannabinoids are non polar also, and so would be dissolved by Hexane. But whilst trying to find out if I would be correct in saying the Hexane is better suited for the extraction of cannabinoids, I found out that Methanol is amphiphilic and so would also dissolve non polar molecules. So now I'm really unsure.
« Last Edit: March 12, 2016, 05:01:58 PM by Username14 »

Offline Arkcon

  • Retired Staff
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Posts: 7367
  • Mole Snacks: +533/-147
Re: Methanol or Hexane for Cannabinoid analysis?
« Reply #3 on: March 12, 2016, 05:09:50 PM »
Okay ... since you did it once with each solvent, did you see a difference?  If you saw a difference, does the difference coincide with your theories about the differences in the two solvents? If not, you may have to determine other differences between the two solvents.
Hey, I'm not judging.  I just like to shoot straight.  I'm a man of science.

Offline Username14

  • New Member
  • **
  • Posts: 3
  • Mole Snacks: +0/-0
Re: Methanol or Hexane for Cannabinoid analysis?
« Reply #4 on: March 12, 2016, 05:16:38 PM »
Okay ... since you did it once with each solvent, did you see a difference?  If you saw a difference, does the difference coincide with your theories about the differences in the two solvents? If not, you may have to determine other differences between the two solvents.

For the GC-MS results, the concentrations were consistently higher for the samples using Methanol as a solvent, but for the LC-MS results the concentrations were higher with Hexane as a solvent.
But I don't understand what might have caused the difference
« Last Edit: March 12, 2016, 05:45:02 PM by Username14 »

Sponsored Links