squiggly
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So the fact that the carbolic acid molecule has 3.5 out of its desired 4 bonds is the reason why it's acidic, right?
I should also clarify this.
If you count them up--there are still actually 4 bonds. It's just that they are not 4 stable bonds. They are 3 full bonds, and two half bonds (which are weaker). We can do reactions on this functional group in this state because it wants to stabilize itself more.
In fact, the conversion of THC-a to THC (decarboxylation) is exactly such a reaction. It turns out that if the carboxylate anion just craps off that CO2 on the end, the CO2 can take that instability with it (and actually increase the overall stability of the system). If you think of it this is entropically favored. In the above reaction a hydrogen takes the place of the CO2 group, and the parent molecule becomes neutral.
This frees up the central carbon atom to make a 2nd bond to the negative oxygen. Now everyone's happy, and there is no charge on either molecule.
This reminds me why I went for chemical engineering instead of chemistry.
Cool work.
The hydration isn't the issue when we're drying it necessarily. Its more the protective effect of water against heating. The decarboxylation effect (loss of a CO2 molecule) is what renders the substance active. High water content can complicate this when smoking, there are a few things to consider--boiling point depression, the effect where water can form a protective layer of gas around something (lick your finger, touch an iron--no burn). In effect when we smoke we are still vaporizing THC, most of the compound that directly burns or touches fire is destroyed. The water makes the transition from not hot enough to fire too fast to vaporize/decarboxylate THC-a effectively.
Ooooo- do tell! I'm interested to hear what spice your expertise might bring to our fair table, laden with the bounty of knowlege...
Does the fact that THC likes to mix with fats have anything to do with this? I'm still a little lost why it works in food.
Not much unfortunately, I barely know any chemistry. I took ochem and didn't do well, my thermo focused pchem class was more entertaining.
I just take the stuff from the chemists and size it up. Squiggly is dropping knowledge for sure.
Okay, so this explains why drying your product until its completely crispy- without ever getting it hot, of course- makes it work better in both vape and food. Easy enough to do around here; damn humidity falls into the single digits on a regular basis! Also, isn't baking soda alkaline? Bet that's why it helps make brownies so potent... On the other side, adding it to spaghetti sauce probably won't be as good, because of the natural acidity in tomatoes. Or do you think it would make a difference?
Stomach acid is hydrochloric acid, a strong acid, right? Is that acid interaction the reason why eating it is relatively inefficient? I always thought it had more to do with the time factor; it takes so long to get into your system and build up in the bloodstream that you need more just to feel it. And of course it lasts longer than a toke, too.
My favorite vaping tool I have found thus far is my buddy's temperature controlled heat gun! I just twist that dial to about 450, put it down on the pipe and inhale slooowwwwly... I have a nice vaporizer but I like the heat gun better, it seems to work better and I get a better taste from it, most likely from the fact that I'm getting very close to the ignition point. Gonna have to get me one of those... lol
Not much unfortunately, I barely know any chemistry. I took ochem and didn't do well, my thermo focused pchem class was more entertaining.
I just take the stuff from the chemists and size it up. Squiggly is dropping knowledge for sure.
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