Still doing research involving cannabis, but I'm about to call it quits and return to tryptamines, phenethylamines, and lysergamides. These hydrocarbon terpenoid compounds (and diterpenoid hydrocarbons in salvia divinorum) are very interesting, and much fun to research, very unique in terms of plant psychoactives, which are almost always alkaloids, which is an upside and a downside when researching these compounds
(Information in regards to "alkaloids in cannabis" )
1.1.Alkaloids For many years during the 19th century thepossible presence of alkaloids was discussed. Preobrajensky (1876) claimed the presence ofnicotine in Cannabis sativa resin but this was refuted by Kennedy (1886). Hay (1883) was able to obtain an alkaloid, tetanocannabin, which pos-sessed strychnine like properties when tested on a frog. Although the balance of evidence was in favor of some alkaloidal substance (in addition to choline and trigonellin) being present in small quantity in Indian hemp, almost no further workalong these lines was undertaken.
This lack of data apparently did not prevent the marketing of ‘Cannabine Alkaloid Merck’ (MerckIndex, 1896), as ‘fine needles ... hypnotic without dangerous secondary effects’.The first solid indication of the presence of alkaloids in Cannabis, in addition to the above-described simple nitrogenous bases, was put for-ward much later in Klein et al. (1971). Alkaloidalmixtures were extracted from plant material. Thetotal crude yield was 0.02%. Four alkaloids,named cannabimines A – D, were isolated bypreparative TLC. High-resolution mass spectro-metric data indicated molecular weights of 279 –363. Structural assignments could not be made.No further work on these alkaloids has beenreported. Cannabimine A, C21H37N3O2may beidentical to anhydrocannabisativine, which sharesthe same molecular formula.The firstCannabisalkaloid to be fully identifiedwas cannabisativine which was isolated in Missis-sippi in 1975 from the roots of a Mexican variant(Lotter et al., 1975). TLC indicated the presenceof this substance in the leaves of the plant as well.The structure of cannabisativine was elucidatedby X-ray crystallography. A second alkaloid,named anhydrocannabisativine, was isolated in aminiscule yield by the same group from the leavesand roots of a Mexican variant ofCannabis sati6a(ElSohly and Turner, 1976). Anhydrocannabis-tivine has been found in plant samples ofCan-nabisfrom 15 different geographical locations.Several related spermidine alkaloids palustrineand palustridine (both found inEquisetumspe-cies) are known in nature.While the crude alkaloidal mixture caused de-creased activity in mice, in view of the low con-centration of the alkaloids in the plant, it isdoubtful whether these components are relevanttoCannabisactivity in man. For a detailed reviewof cannabinoid alkaloids see Mechoulam (1988 )
(Bottom left of page two)
https://www.researchgate...research_on_cannabinoids
While researching terpenes from plant sources other than cannabis, as well as their structural relationship to cannabis produced compounds, I would frequently recall shulgin talking about producing THC from "lichen and pennyroyal", it's a pulgone/olivetol condensation reaction in which he is describing, and regardless of the practicality of the notion I always found it am using.
In the below section shulgin discusses using a terpene compound derived from pennyroyal (pulgone) in a condensation reaction with benzene compounds derived from lichens (olivetol), to give delta-3-THC.
(Similar methods for production of delta-9-THC also exist)
(The "delta-9" is referring to the double bond (C=C) in the top right-hand section of ring C of the THC molecule, this double bond can occur in positions all around ring C... so "delta-3" suggest the double bond in ring C is in position number three, "delta-9" suggest the double bond is in position 9 of ring C. Each of these positional isomers of THC has distinst activity, pharmacology, and legal status)
Ok, now for shulgins comments: (under the line in the below section)
The tetrahydrocannabinol molecule from Cannabis can be viewed as a combination of two very different halves.
The right half (as the structure is usually drawn) resembles the nucleus of many of the substituted benzene-ring containing components found throughout the lichen world. Isolation of these products can give the raw materials that can be converted to the compound olivetol, a simple amyl-substituted resorcinol compound.
The left half is a terpene which contains ten carbon atoms, and which is substantially identical to the essential oil, pulegone. This component makes up some 80 to 90% of the Oil of Pennyroyal.
The fusion of these two materials has been shown (Claussen et al., Tetrahedron Vol. 24 p. 2879 (196
), to produce several products, one of which is delta-3-THC. This is a close structural isomer of delta-9-THC, the principal active component of marijuana, and is known to be active in man.
Again, I'm about finished with my cannabinoid research.
...and though I use cannabis flowers and Hashish daily, and I use hash and marijuana flowers as an entheogen and meditation aide, and though I love chemistry and psychoactives, I think I have learned enough in this area.
I see marijuana in a way that most people see...let's say coffee, I use it every day, it has slight psychogogical effect, and I enjoy it....but you don't see coffee drinkers obsessing over their coffee the way marijuana users (specially recreational marijuana users) do. I think marijuana needs to be normalized and incorporated into daily life, and it's these people who obsesssvely "make a big deal" about their marijuana, and who treat it like a street drug who are misusing marijuana...I see marijuana as a daily sacrament, it's something jah has put here to keep man stress-free, relaxed, healthy, happy, and sending vibrations of happiness, comfort, peace, love and unity into their surrounding world.
...watch the movie "half-baked", everything in that movie is a perfect example of what Im talking about, every single way those people act towards and use marijuana, it's these attitudes and behaviors that I dislike...but that's a discussion for another thread...
-eg