GC Analysis of Terpenes in Cannabis on Equity^™-1 after Headspace SPME using 50/30 μm DVB/CAR/PDMS Fiber

Terpenes are contained in the essential oils derived from plants, and often impart characteristic aromas to the plant and/or oil. Cannabis sativa (cannabis) contains more than 100 different terpenes and terpenoids, including mono, sesqui, di and tri, as well as other misc. compounds of terpenoid orgin. Terpene profile does not necessarily indicate geographic orgin of a cannabis sample, however it can be used in forensic applications to determine the common source of different samples. In addition, different cannabis strains have been developed which have distinct aromas and flavors, a result of the differing amounts of specific terpenes present. In this application, headspace-SPME combined with GC/MS was used to analyze some of the terpenes present in dried cannabis. Sample was obtained courtesy of Dr. Hari H. Singh, Program Director at the Chemistry & Physiological Systems Research Branch of the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institute of Health. The exact strain of the sample was not known. Chromatographic separation was performed on an Equity^™-1 capillary GC column, and identification was done using retention indices and spectral library match.

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