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US 12,420,214 B2Granted
Methods to produce products comprising cannabinoids
AssigneeNatural Extraction Systems, LLC
InventorsC. Russell Thomas, Matthew M. DePalo
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Various aspects of this disclosure relate to methods to lower the activation energy of the cannabinoid decarboxylation reaction by performing the decarboxylation reaction in the gas phase. In some specific embodiments, the method relates to the decarboxylation of a cannabinoid performed in a short-path distillation apparatus or a thin-film distillation apparatus.
Claims20
A method to produce a product comprising a cannabinoid, comprising:
- (a) providing a composition comprising cannabinoids, wherein (i) the composition has a surface area, (ii) the composition comprises less than 15 percent water by weight, (iii) the composition comprises an oil, (iv) the oil comprises the cannabinoids, (v) the cannabinoids comprise a native cannabinoid molecule, (vi) the native cannabinoid molecule comprises a carboxyl group, (vii) the native cannabinoid molecule is tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), (viii) the composition comprises at least 5 percent by weight of the cannabinoids, which are selected from tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), tetrahydrocannabivarin carboxylic acid (THCVA), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), and tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), and (ix) the composition comprises at least 1 percent by weight tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA);
- (b) contacting the composition with a heated surface and exposing the surface area of the composition to a vacuum to convert the native cannabinoid molecule into a modified cannabinoid molecule in a gas phase, wherein (x) contacting the composition with the heated surface heats the cannabinoids of the composition by conduction, and (xi) the modified cannabinoid molecule is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC);
- (c) condensing the modified cannabinoid molecule into a condensed cannabinoid molecule in a distillate, wherein (xii) the condensed cannabinoid molecule is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC);
- and
- (d) collecting the distillate.
2 more elements
A method to produce a product comprising a cannabinoid, comprising:
- (a) providing a composition comprising cannabinoids, wherein (i) the composition has a surface area, (ii) the composition comprises less than 15 percent water by weight, (iii) the composition comprises an oil, (iv) the oil comprises the cannabinoids, (v) the cannabinoids comprise a native cannabinoid molecule, (vi) the native cannabinoid molecule comprises a carboxyl group, (vii) the native cannabinoid molecule is tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), (viii) the composition comprises at least 5 percent by weight of the cannabinoids, which are selected from tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), tetrahydrocannabivarin carboxylic acid (THCVA), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), and tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), and (ix) the composition comprises at least 1 percent by weight tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA);
- (b) contacting the composition with a heated surface and exposing the surface area of the composition to a vacuum to convert the native cannabinoid molecule into a modified cannabinoid molecule in a gas phase, wherein (x) contacting the composition with the heated surface heats the cannabinoids of the composition by conduction, and (xi) the modified cannabinoid molecule is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC);
- (c) condensing the modified cannabinoid molecule into a condensed cannabinoid molecule in a distillate less than 360 seconds after converting the native cannabinoid molecule into the modified cannabinoid molecule in the gas phase, wherein (xii) the condensed cannabinoid molecule is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC);
- and
- (d) collecting the distillate.
2 more elements
A method to produce a product comprising a cannabinoid, comprising:
- (a) providing a distillation apparatus, wherein (i) the distillation apparatus is a thin-film evaporator and/or a short-path distillation apparatus;
- (b) providing a composition comprising cannabinoids, wherein (ii) the composition has a surface area, (iii) the composition comprises less than 15 percent water by weight, (iv) the composition comprises an oil, (v) the oil comprises the cannabinoids, (vi) the oil is an extracted oil from the genus Cannabis, (vii) the cannabinoids comprise a native cannabinoid molecule, (viii) the native cannabinoid molecule comprises a carboxyl group, (ix) the native cannabinoid molecule is tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), (x) the composition comprises at least 5 percent by weight of the cannabinoids, which are selected from tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), tetrahydrocannabivarin carboxylic acid (THCVA), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), and tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), and (xi) the composition comprises at least 1 percent by weight tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA);
- (c) contacting the composition with a heated surface and exposing the surface area of the composition to a vacuum to convert the native cannabinoid molecule into a modified cannabinoid molecule in a gas phase, wherein (xii) the heated surface is a surface of the distillation apparatus, (xiii) contacting the composition with the heated surface comprises coating the heated surface with the composition, (xiv) contacting the composition with the heated surface heats the cannabinoids of the composition by conduction, (xv) heating the cannabinoids of the composition by conduction comprises contacting the composition with sufficient energy to convert the native cannabinoid molecule into (A) a carbon dioxide molecule and (B) the modified cannabinoid molecule in the gas phase, and (xvi) the modified cannabinoid molecule is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC);
- (d) condensing the modified cannabinoid molecule into a condensed cannabinoid molecule in a distillate less than 360 seconds after converting the native cannabinoid molecule into the modified cannabinoid molecule in the gas phase, wherein (xvii) the condensed cannabinoid molecule is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC);
- and
- (e) collecting the distillate.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.