Analysis of Terpenes in Cannabis Using Agilent HSS-GC-MSD with FID

Cannabis products have been marketed as a natural cure-all, leading way to CBD oils, creams, pills, and even gummies that can be found all over stores and marketplaces in America today. If you’ve ever picked up a bottle of CBD oil and read the label, you may have noticed Terpenes listed as an ingredient. 

Terpenes are responsible for the distinctive aroma and flavor of the various marijuana strains. The medical benefits of terpenes themselves are still being researched, as discussed by Chemical and Engineering News but the naturally occurring aromatic compounds are thought to help enhance the healing properties of hemp and marijuana plants.

In August of 2019, The Drug Enforcement Administration announced that they would be expanding the medical research for marijuana in the United States. As the understanding of how terpenes interact in cannabis products and their effects on the end user grows, so too does the need for analysis of residual solvents and terpenes.

Terpenes are naturally occurring volatile isoprenes, which allow for headspace analysis. Agilent scientists are able to rapidly and robustly analyze 22 terpenes in just over five minutes using an Agilent headspace-gas chromatography-mass selective detection (HSS-GC-MSD) system with concomitant flame ionization detector (FID)

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