www.westcoastseparations.com +1-(805) 504-7767 3201 Corte Malpaso, Unit 310, Camarillo, CA 93012

Westcoast

Separations, LLC “Building relationships with reliable and

cost-effective separation services”

SFC method for the fractionation of cannabinoids

It is well documented without accurate clinical data the multiple uses of cannabinoids for the

alleviations of debilitating symptoms of pain and spasticity in MS patients and as potentially

useful medication for various conditions such as migraine headaches, nausea and vomiting

typically associated with cancer patients on chemotherapy, wasting syndrome and appetite

stimulation in patients infected with HIV. As the number of states considering the legalization of

cannabis for medical and other uses, scientific researchers and clinicians are increasingly

interested in studying and performing controlled clinical trials. Accurate documentation of the

scientific findings of cannabis would help marijuana establish scientific respectability and gain

credibility in the medical profession so more doctors would be willing to write MMJ

recommendations.

Currently, there are no simple and efficient chromatographic methods suitable to scale up for the

fractionation of individual cannabinoids. Westcoast Separations, WcS, a California based

contract research organization, have developed a simple and efficient 2-step supercritical fluid

chromatography (SFC) method.

The conventional extraction techniques that have gained traction in the last couple of years for

acquiring plant extracts is supercritical fluid extraction (SFE). SFE is a simple method that

employs liquid carbon dioxide and a modifier but the run times to obtain only three products

(terpenes, CBD and THC) are very long and the purities of the fractions are usually questioned

for its intended purpose. WcS SFC method employed the use of two columns, column 1 is used

to achieve a baseline separation of 5 out of the 7 individual cannabinoids and column 2 for the

www.westcoastseparations.com +1-(805) 504-7767 3201 Corte Malpaso, Unit 310, Camarillo, CA 93012

baseline separation of the two partially separated compounds in the first step (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Step 1 of the separation of the individual cannabinoids

For step 2, based on the need and the compound of interest, two different type of Kromasil columns

were employed. These two columns showed different selectivity between the columns (Figure 2a

and b).

Figure 2a: Separation of the partially separated THC and CBDA in Step 1 using Kromasil

Ethyl Pyridine column (150 x 3.0 mm i.d.), 2.5µM. Mobile Phase was 90% carbon dioxide and

10% methanol at 3 ml/min with a BPR of 100 Bar.

CBD

CBC

CBN

CBG

CBDATHC THCA

Time0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 4.50 5.00 5.50 6.00 6.50 7.00 7.50

AU

0.0

2.0e-2

4.0e-2

6.0e-2

8.0e-2

1.0e-1

1.2e-1

1.4e-1

1.6e-1

1.8e-1

2.0e-1

2.2e-1

2.4e-1

2.6e-1

CBD

Time1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00

AU

0.0

1.0e-1

2.0e-1

3.0e-1THC

CBDA

www.westcoastseparations.com +1-(805) 504-7767 3201 Corte Malpaso, Unit 310, Camarillo, CA 93012

Figure 2b: Separation of the partially separated THC and CBDA in Step 1 using Kromasil

Silica column (150 x 3.0 mm i.d.), 2.5µM. Mobile Phase was 90% carbon dioxide and 10%

methanol at 3 ml/min with a BPR of 100 Bar.

CBD

Time0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00

AU

0.0

2.0e-1

4.0e-1

6.0e-1CBDA

THC