A new study published in Microchemical Journal finds that ultraviolet (UV) light can trigger significant chemical changes in marijuana compounds, including converting delta-9 THC into delta-8 THC and ultimately cannabinol (CBN), raising important questions about how cannabis products are stored, processed and tested.
The study, conducted by researchers in South Korea, examined how cannabidiol (CBD) and delta-9 THC respond to controlled ultraviolet irradiation. Researchers used a laboratory-built photoreactor and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to identify the compounds produced during exposure.
They found that delta-9 THC underwent isomerization, a chemical rearrangement that converted it into delta-8 THC, another psychoactive cannabinoid. Additional reactions involving oxidation produced CBN, a cannabinoid commonly associated with the degradation of THC over time.
CBD also underwent substantial chemical changes, although through different pathways. Rather than following the same transformation sequence as THC, CBD primarily produced compounds through molecular rearrangement and cyclization reactions.
One of the study’s notable findings involved the difference between acidic and neutral cannabinoids. Researchers found that UV exposure did not cause significant decarboxylation of acidic compounds such as THCA and CBDA, a process normally associated with heating marijuana.
Instead, ultraviolet light caused rapid degradation of neutral cannabinoids, demonstrating that light exposure and heat can alter marijuana’s chemical composition through fundamentally different mechanisms.
The researchers also discovered that the surrounding chemical environment significantly influenced how quickly cannabinoids degraded. Transformations occurred faster in polar solvents such as methanol and ethanol, with shorter chemical half-lives and additional compounds forming through reactions involving the solvents themselves.
When researchers compared isolated cannabinoid standards with marijuana extracts, they found that other components present in the extracts increased the complexity of the reactions. They suggested that interactions involving reactive oxygen species and light-sensitive compounds may help explain these differences.
The findings carry potential implications for marijuana manufacturers, laboratories and companies developing cannabinoid-based pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and other consumer products. Chemical changes during processing or storage could affect cannabinoid concentrations, product consistency and laboratory testing results.
The experiments used controlled laboratory conditions, including irradiation at 254 nanometers, rather than ordinary sunlight exposure. As a result, the findings do not establish how quickly these transformations would occur in commercially packaged marijuana products under everyday storage conditions.
Researchers said their findings support more detailed assessments of cannabinoid stability and improved analytical methods capable of distinguishing compounds that form as marijuana products undergo chemical changes.
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