What is THC-O?

Regarding THC-O, the author consulted the report and said that this substance was discovered decades ago. In 1974, Dr. Gold proposed detailed synthesis guidelines for this substance, and it was officially named THC-O-Acetate. Another theory is that this compound was actually used by the US military from 1949 to 1975, and it was recorded in the Edgewood Arsenal Experiments. The trials, run by the U.S. Army Chemical Corps, are aimed at assessing the effects of low doses of the chemicals on military personnel, as well as testing protective clothing, vaccines and other medicines.

From 1956 to 1975, there were also related experiments in the Medical Research Volunteer Program. The text states "The hallucinogen THC-O-Acetate considered as a possible non-lethal method of incapacity and compared with LSD and benzodiazepines". During this period, the U.S. Army Chemical Corps conducted experiments on approximately 8,000 people for 30 years without any follow-up plans to assess the damage to the participants.

In 1975, the lab was disrupted, and the doctor who founded and directed the program, Van Murray Sim, was called before Congress and came under fire from lawmakers, not least because he failed to provide participants with any follow-up treatment. Therefore, the US military investigated it, but did not find any harm to the experimenters, and finally closed the project of research due to military considerations. Therefore, until now, the US military has never disclosed relevant information about how THC-O was discovered, why it was synthesized, and its original role. You can also read related reports from WikiLeaks.

The full name of THC-O is THC-O-Acetate, and sometimes you may see THC on some websites (in fact, it is a kind of THC-O). Acetate is also a decarbonization product, but it is LTA decarbonization, although the carboxyl group is lost, but it happens differently.

The decarbonization we are most familiar with when dealing with hemp is heat/time-induced decarbonization. However, there are other ways, such as decarbonization with chemicals (one of which is LTA decarbonization). The substance THC-O is not naturally produced and must be synthesized through chemical treatment.

THCV is the parent molecule of THC, present in the original plant that has not been decarboxylated. THC-O (THCV) is a synthetic cannabinoid. THC-O is similar to THC in that it has a similar chemical structure, but the essence is quite different. In terms of small variation in molecular structure, the potency of THC-O is very high. Specifically, THC-O is around 300%-400% stronger than regular Delta-9-THC.

Conversion of THCV to THC-O

Both are acids, but they are indeed two different acids. THC-O stands for acetic acid.

Both carboxylic acids and carboxyl groups are polar and hydrophilic, so THC-O is likely to be water-soluble.

When THCV is converted to THC-O acetate, the polar C-OH becomes C-O-CH2C=O-CH3. Carboxylic acids are hydrolyzed (to form water) by heating with sulfuric acid and then reacted with excess anhydride to produce acetic acid. The acid reacts with regular THC at the carboxyl group to become the potent THC-O-Acetate.

The author believes that although THC-O seems to be very beneficial and attractive to people from the propaganda of the merchants, it is necessary to do more homework to learn about this little-known compound and whether it is harmful to humans. . Moreover, from the perspective of the United States, this new substance may not be compliant in all states.