While cannabis is almost universally associated with its distinctive intoxicating effects, this is actually a quality that relies on another chemical process known as decarboxylation. Cannabis consumption without this step would not have any of its characteristic effects.
These two facts leave us with two important questions.
What exactly is decarboxylation? And what does it do to cannabis?
What Exactly is Decarboxylation?
Decarboxylation is a chemical process in which a compound sheds a carboxyl group. The process involves the break of the bond that connects the carbon atom to the compound. This break allows the carboxyl group to be released as CO2 and then replaced with a hydrogen atom.
Most of the time, this process involves carboxylic acids, which are very common organic compounds. These can include:
- Acetic acid (The characteristic ingredient of vinegar)
- Amino acids (The building blocks of proteins)
- Formic acid (The agitating agent in insect stings)
- Fatty acids (The building blocks of saturated and unsaturated fats)
The exact effects of decarboxylation are as varied as the carboxylic acids that are being decarboxylated. Sometimes, it is an important step in the biological process of converting food to energy. And other times, it affects brain activity with the production of neurotransmitters.
So, what effect does it have when it comes to cannabis?
What Does Decarboxylation Do to Cannabis?
The psychoactive compounds associated with cannabis consumption, CBD and THC, are not present in cannabis. Instead, cannabis contains CBDA and THCA, the carboxylic acids associated with the respective compounds.
Consuming CBDA or THCA wouldn’t have any remarkable effects if any at all. It’s only after they’ve been converted to CBD or THC that the body can interact with and be affected by them.
This conversion occurs, of course, through our process in question. The most common cause of this process is exposure to heat. The heat provides the atoms with the energy necessary to break the bond connecting the carbon atom and the rest of the compound.
It makes sense, then, that the most common methods of cannabis consumption include heat. These thermal processes are what trigger the conversion of the ineffectual cannabinoid acids to their more active forms and allow for the desired effect.
Because extraction products will not be before consumption. It is important to decarboxylate them during production and be exposed to heat before their consumption. It is also important to decarboxylate them during the production process. This is usually done after the solvent recovery stage, where the extract and the solvent used in the extraction are separated.
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