DIY Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) of cannabinoids at home - tutorial

[DancesWithWeeds]

Sorry about that. I was stoned and had one those "profound revelations ".

What was happening was the dye (food coloring) is in water and didn't soak into the paper where the oil was. The paper got dyed, not the sample. Besides, the ink is organic so it wouldn't work anyway.

DancesWithWeeds

 

[PhenoMenal]

DancesWithWeeds, sorry but I have no experience with UV (f254 etc). I don't think I'd be a fan of it though - a bit of extra equipment required (you're lucky to have a lab but most of us don't), and it looks like you're only getting essentially grayscale images vs the colour images the rest of us are getting, and it's the different colours that help easily distinguish which cannabinoid is which (along with vertical position of course). I'll personally stick to non-UV chromatography! Just get silicone TLC plates, and Fast Blue BB as the dye, and it's like when Dorothy opened the door to Munchkinland in Wizard Of Oz

 

[PhenoMenal]

many of my original images/photos/scans no longer appear, which makes my tutorial tricker to understand, BUT they've been archived by the Wayback Machine! (archive.org)
So you can find them here:

DIY Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) of cannabinoids at home - tutorial

In this tutorial I will try to explain how to use both Beam's Test, and, Thin Layer Chromatography of cannabinoids to do a DIY home analysis of your...

web.archive.org

 

[LukeTW]

Pick a standard any standard! ...
Initially it was tricky for me to figure out which was which, given conflicting data from various reports...

Some of my experiments ...
(In chronological order. Again these are taken from initial discussions [here] - my username is sadpanda - where it took me 2.5 months to figure out all the variables, equipment, and procedures)

First, having just received my first batch of Fast Blue BB and having never done TLC before, I needed to figure out how much Fast Blue BB to use, because I simply couldn't find any specific info about that. It didn't take too many goes though to realise that Fast Blue BB is very strong - i only use 3 of this tiny blue spatula scoops in 25mL of sodium hydroxide solution to make my dye bath:

Now, time to try some actual substances! ... at this stage I don't have Chloroform, so all my first tests are with Hexane : Diethyl Ether as the eluent...

But notice all those clumpy olive-brown dirty dots? That's because Fast Blue BB is clumpy, and I didn't filter the dye bath through a coffee filter. Lesson learned.

Then i wondered - how long should I be decarboxylating samples, and what effect does that have on their resulting TLC?

We can need though...

Then I wondered -- why do we have to use specific eluents like Hexane : Diethyl Ether or Chloroform ... so I tried some others, which, perhaps unsurprisingly, simply confirmed - yes, we need specific eluents!!

Because of that experiment I decided to buy Chloroform to try as an eluent. Really nice separation too - here are 5 different samples compared (each lane on each card is the same sample):

So then i wanted to try decarboxylation again, but with the chloroform eluent, but for whatever reason the shape of the jar seems to affect the Chloroform one (but not the Hexane: Diethyl one), so this result was trickier to read ...

Another decarb run, this is with a high CBG strain (big orange dot under the even bigger red THC dot), first with Hexane: Diethyl ...

Then the same with chloroform...

Decarb of a high-THCV strain...

Most recently we grew out Dinamed CBD and Cinderella 99 ... with the Dinamed CBD one I ended up with an indica pheno, not the main sativa one which is purported to be 20:1 CBD:THC, but this indica one was still 1:1, as can easily be seen. The report back from my friend with cancer who's tried it in the form of cannabutter -- "that stuff's really good" - having seen the TLC result, I had a slightly confident feeling it would be! ...

Thanx very much Bro.

This is my run With Clorophorm and wih Metanol:H2O:Acetic.
your Tutorial its the Best.

 

[DancesWithWeeds]

Thanx very much Bro.

This is my run With Clorophorm and wih Metanol:H2O:Acetic.
your Tutorial its the Best.

I see you are a new member. Welcome.

I think this thread is dead now. I hope not. If it is maybe we can hit it started back up. I've been wanting to start a thread "Legit MMJ Home Labs". The lab would be wherever or what ever you use to to make whatever you make. At one time it was a bucket and a wooden patlel.

I'm not a chemist but I try. If you are interestedlet me know.

 

[DancesWithWeeds]

Thanx very much Bro.

This is my run With Clorophorm and wih Metanol:H2O:Acetic.
your Tutorial its the Best.

I've done a little TLC. Just enough to know how. I'm getting ready to start DCVC chromatography. You can check it out on YouTube. This looks like the easiest and cheapest way to go about this.

If you are interested I am, too. It would be nice to have someone to boune ideas off of.

P.S.: I'm writing this without my glasses. I hope it says what I want it to.

 

[Chopshop697]

Just jumped into TLC with the Cannalytics kit. Pretty cool, but I think my print went off the end and I didn't get a good CBD spot on my Cream & Cheese 1:1 on the left. The 3 right prints are my Critical Purple Kush - 2 mature plants and 1 print for the early larf and trim I took. Oh well, practice makes perfect. Note to self - label sample vials with something that doesn't wipe off easily

 

[DancesWithWeeds]

Just jumped into TLC with the Cannalytics kit. Pretty cool, but I think my print went off the end and I didn't get a good CBD spot on my Cream & Cheese 1:1 on the left. The 3 right prints are my Critical Purple Kush - 2 mature plants and 1 print for the early larf and trim I took. Oh well, practice makes perfect. Note to self - label sample vials with something that doesn't wipe off easily

View attachment 5157696

That's super. I've not tried one of the kits. I am a little into the chemistry of pot, but not a chemist. I would like to start a thread "Ligit MMJ Home Lab". This is the kind of thing that it would be for. I'm afraid it might not happen because I can just someone doing something like blowing up their house from fumes from an invented process.

You can do really nice things with low flash point solvents or very small amounts of volatile solvents for a lot less money. Besides, to me this is interesting enough to me experimenting

 

[PhenoMenal]

TLC is such an amazing way to analyse buds/marijuana/cannabis at HOME, and it's relatively easy once you've tried it (and quite affordable - the kits are inexpensive but can only be used for limited tests, but if you purchase all the parts yourself its a lot more affordable for a lot more tests), so I commend you all for giving it a go, so we can SHARE this knowledge

 

[PhenoMenal]

JNote to self - label sample vials with something that doesn't wipe off easily

Just use a "lead pencil" (actually carbon graphite) for marking the plates. Carbon is an element so it cannot be broken down further to interrupt the chromatography. Do NOT use an ink pen.

 

[PhenoMenal]

Thanx very much Bro.
This is my run With Clorophorm and wih Metanol:H2O:Acetic.
your Tutorial its the Best.

It's fascinating trying different eluents... I think Chloroform is my fave so far (its just so easy, doesnt assault your nose, only requires 1 chemical, and provides really good DIVISION of chemicals on the TLC plate). However it is awesome to have a second eluent to use for comparison! I salute you on giving TLC a go

 

[DancesWithWeeds]

TLC is such an amazing way to analyse buds/marijuana/cannabis at HOME, and it's relatively easy once you've tried it (and quite affordable - the kits are inexpensive but can only be used for limited tests, but if you purchase all the parts yourself its a lot more affordable for a lot more tests), so I commend you all for giving it a go, so we can SHARE this knowledge

I haven't seem you around for quite a while. My shortcut to RIU used to be through your thread.

It is easier on your wallet just to set up a small lab and buy little larger quantities. I don't like to keep larger amounts of solvents but now I buy by the gallon. Much less than by the liter, and there is no way I could afford the little bottles.

I also have Fast Blue BB but don't know how to use it so I'd like to pick your brain a little. I still have some of the graphics you posted.

 

[DancesWithWeeds]

BTW, my lab isn't anything like a real lab. It's a shed with some old kitchen cabinets, a still that is becoming nice, some filtering glassware, hot plate, and some glassware. Nothing fancy but I do add things (within my wife's reasoning) that makes the job a little easier. You really have to use a little imagination to call this a lab.

 

[PhenoMenal]

I also have Fast Blue BB but don't know how to use it so I'd like to pick your brain a little. I still have some of the graphics you posted.

using Fast Blue BB is pretty simple, see "#6 - Prepare the dye bath for visualisation" in my tutorial

 

[DancesWithWeeds]

using Fast Blue BB is pretty simple, see "#6 - Prepare the dye bath for visualisation" in my tutorial

Thanks.
Right now I am working on beets. Did know that if you do an ethonal wash on beets it comes out amber. Do a second wash with water and its red. The good stuff is in the amber. My solvent will be in today and run a column tonight. This is good for practice and doesn't cost an and leg.

I'm starting to do chromatography and want to run something easy before functioning out RSO. The setup I'm using is "Dry Column Vacuum Chromatography", DCVC. It's supposed to a lot easier, faster, and cheaper than flash. On YouTube you can lookup DCVC.

My RSO has a good record for cancer patients. 2 for 2. Lung cancer and leukemia. Both stable after the doctors wrote them off. It's too bad St. Jude wouldn't let my great grand daughter have RSO.

New project - diabetes. That's why the chromatography right now. I'm after THCV.

 

[PhenoMenal]

@DancesWithWeeds, I just need to clarify that I've only ever done Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) - i've never done Columnar Chromatography so I can't really help you out there.

Regarding THCV, I've found it in decent levels in the Durban Poison strain using TLC but can't recall finding it in any other of the strains I've tested. Here's a TLC plate of it I did whilst also experimenting with decarboxylation times:

(And there is clearly no CBD in this strain - it would've appeared as an orange circle above the THC circle, but clearly there's very significant levels of THCV, but not much else ... pretty much just THC and THCV in this one)

ps. It's best if you check out the archived version of my tutorial, as it includes various photos etc that are now missing from my initial post:

DIY Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) of cannabinoids at home - tutorial

In this tutorial I will try to explain how to use both Beam's Test, and, Thin Layer Chromatography of cannabinoids to do a DIY home analysis of your...

web.archive.org

 

[DancesWithWeeds]

@DancesWithWeeds, I just need to clarify that I've only ever done Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) - i've never done Columnar Chromatography.

regarding THCV, I've found it in decent levels in the Durban Poison strain using TLC but can't recall finding it in any other of the strains I've tested. Here's a TLC plate of it:
View attachment 5159766

ps. It's best if you check out the archived version of my tutorial, as it includes various photos etc that are now missing:

DIY Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) of cannabinoids at home - tutorial

In this tutorial I will try to explain how to use both Beam's Test, and, Thin Layer Chromatography of cannabinoids to do a DIY home analysis of your...

web.archive.org

The strain I'll be using is "Diet Durbin THCV:THC. It's a proprietary strain from Seedsman. It's 1:1 ratio. The genetics are listed as secret. 7% THCV, 7% THC, 2% CBD.

 

[PhenoMenal]

The strain I'll be using is "Diet Durbin THCV:THC. It's a proprietary strain from Seedsman. It's 1:1 ratio. The genetics are listed as secret. 7% THCV, 7% THC, 2% CBD.

Interesting, I have no experience with "Diet Durban" but my only advice if you're after THCV is to start with a Durban Poison or close relative, so you're on the right track there. I can't recall which Durban Poison i used, but it was just called Durban Poison. I wonder why they named their cross "Diet Durban" though? It'll be interesting if you're also able to detect CBD in Diet Durban, there was none detectable in mine as you can see.

 

[DancesWithWeeds]

I decided on a low THC strain because neither of the two are users. They are applying for their MMJ cards, probably doing it right now.

 

[DancesWithWeeds]

Interesting, I have no experience with "Diet Durban" but my only advice if you're after THCV is to start with a Durban Poison or close relative, so you're on the right track there. I can't recall which Durban Poison i used, but it was just called Durban Poison. I wonder why they named their cross "Diet Durban" though? It'll be interesting if you're also able to detect CBD in Diet Durban, there was none detectable in mine.

Diet Durban is a strain made exactly for this. I looked at Durbin Poison first. Diet Durbin has about 1 1/2 times the THCV plus CBD. It's the best balance I could find.