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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Radagast97" data-source="post: 4873613" data-attributes="member: 338887">Mitchell's link on decarboxylation of THCA is excellent, but a number of people might be a bit intimidated by the degree of science and chemistry in the paper so I thought I'd do my best to convert it into English. If I slip into the nerd zone, accept my apologies now.THC and CBD are the primary bioactive components most people are interested in, in marijuana. There are terpenes that give it a nice smell/flavor, and have a mild mood effect as well, but THC and CBD are the ones that keep us coming back.Weed doesn't tend to have free THC or CBD present, not great if you plan to eat it or take an extract. It is only present in a bio-inactive, "precursor" form known as THCA and CBDA. These are the acid forms of the molecule. Nothing dangerously acidic or associated with LSD, just a compound related to THC/CBD in the form of a carboxylic acid. The most common example of a carboxylic acid we run into is vinegar (5% acetic acid - aka ethanoic acid or methane carboxylic acid).We can get high via smoking pot, because heat converts THCA into THC (through a heat catalyzed decarboxylation reaction).Both THCA and CBDA are converted to THC and CBD through heat, with the carboxylic acid group converting to carbon dioxide.Now the important part - how hot and how long. Unfortunately, reality doesn't give us simply answers. The full answer implies that the higher the heat, the shorter the time required, but at a loss of the nice smelling terpenes.The most typical answer given is 145 degrees centigrade for 15 to 45 minutes, typically 30. For those of you who found high school science an unpleasant test of endurance, that translates to 293 degrees fahrenheit.If you are doing this to plant matter, as many of us would be, ensure the material has been thoroughly dried at close to 200 degrees F. This prevents the heat from being used up evaporating water when your intention is to decarboxylate cannabinols.Also, if you have a large amount of material (multi kilo range), this will increase your times, given it takes time to heat up material.Temperature / times that can be used212 deg F for 145 minutes250 deg F for 60 minutes293 deg F for 30 minutesAll of these will vaporize off most of the terpenes. I know of no simple way to retain these without a lot of effort and equipment not normally found outside an organic chemistry lab.Word of warning - most ovens are not extremely accurate and tend to cycle, with their temperature rising and falling above and below the target temp. Putting couple of bricks into your oven and preheating for an hour will help moderate these temperature spikes and may help protect your little THC and CBD molecules.</blockquote>

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