Chemical and physical variations of cannabis smoke from a variety of cannabis samples in New Zealand

Figures & data

Figure 1. The smoking machine used in this study.

Table 1. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) parameters for the analysis of Δ⁹THC.

Equipment/parameter	Specification
GC/MS	Shimadzu QP 2010 GC/MS fitted with a PAL AOC5000 autosampler
Analytical column	Thermo Scientific TraceGOLD TG-5MS, 30 m × 0.32 mm, 0.25 µm, 5% diphenyl/95% dimethyl polysiloxane
Injection port temperature	250 °C
Injection port liner	Restek Custom Liner 3.5 mm × 5 mm, 95 mm, with glass wool
Injection volume	1 µL
Injection mode	10:1 split
Column flow-rate	1.32 mL/min
Transfer line temperature	260 °C
Ion source temperature	250 °C
Data acquisition	Scan m/z = 35–500
Ion used for semi-quantitation	m/z = 299
Reference ions	m/z = 231 and 314
Temperature programme	200 °C for 2 min 10 °C/min to 240 °C 240 °C for 15 min

Table 2. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) parameters for the analysis of cannabis smoke extracts.

Equipment/parameter	Specification
GC/MS	Shimadzu QP 2010 GC/MS fitted with a PAL AOC5000 autosampler
Analytical column	Thermo Scientific TraceGOLD TG-5MS, 30 m × 0.32 mm, 0.25 µm, 5% diphenyl/95% dimethyl polysiloxane
Injection port temperature	260 °C
Injection port liner	Sigma Focus split/splitless liner, 3.4 mm ID with glass wool
Injection volume	1 µL
Injection mode	Splitless injection
Column flow-rate	2.00 mL/min
Transfer line temperature	260 °C
Ion source temperature	260 °C
Data acquisition	Scan m/z = 41–500
Temperature programme	50 °C for 5 min 3 °C/min to 260 °C 260 °C for 15 min

Table 3. The Δ⁹THC content (C_THC), total particulate matter (TPM), delivery efficiency and mass of terpenoid data for the cannabis samples in this study.

CTHC (%)	TPM per gram of cannabis smoked (mg/g) (Rep 1)^a	TPM per gram of cannabis smoked (mg/g) (Rep 2)^a	Percentage of TPM accounted for by Δ^9THC (%) (Rep 1)^a	Percentage of TPM accounted for by Δ^9THC (%) (Rep 2)^a	Δ^9 THC delivery efficiency (%) (Rep 1)^a	Δ^9 THC delivery efficiency (%) (Rep 2)^a	Total mass of terpenoids per gram of cannabis smoked (µg/g) (Rep 1)^a	Total mass of terpenoids per gram of cannabis smoked (µg/g) (Rep 2)^a
1.0	40.2	44.2	3.6	4.1	14.6	18.6	200	300
1.4	14.6	17.7	9.7	9.8	10.5	12.9	50	70
1.9	17.2	16.0	15.4	10.6	13.7	8.7	80	90
2.7	25.6	40.2	10.8	6.7	10.2	9.9	1000	1400
5.8	37.1	58.5	32.8	27.9	20.9	28.0	1100	1500
9.0	41.1	34.1	21.2	26.7	9.7	10.2	1200	1100
9.1	47.9	40.0	31.8	32.0	16.7	14.1	2300	2200
10.5	46.9	54.0	18.9	24.3	8.5	12.6	1400	2100
10.9	45.5	66.3	31.1	20.5	13.0	12.4	2700	2600
11.0	41.2	29.0	23.1	28.4	8.3	7.2	2100	1400
12.2	61.0	58.1	20.6	20.4	10.4	9.7	4000	4300
13.4	61.0	63.8	24.8	22.8	11.0	10.6	2600	1900

^a Results from duplicate experiments of the cannabis smoke TPM collected from five joints on a single Cambridge filter. Rep 1 and rep 2 refer to measurements of TPM taken from the same cannabis sample during different smoking sessions on different days, each time collected from five joints. Values below 1 000 rounded to 1 significant figure and values above 1 000 rounded to 2 significant figures.

Figure 2. An example of a total ion chromatogram (TIC) of the total particulate matter (TPM) collected from five cannabis joints of a single cannabis sample (12.2% C_THC).

Figure 3. Scatter diagram of the estimated total mass of terpenoids in the TPM vs. the Δ⁹THC content (C_THC).

Table 4. Terpenoids identified and their estimated mass in the cannabis smoke TPM extracts, presented as µg/g of cannabis smoked (Rep 1, Rep 2).

	CTHC (%)
Terpenoid	1.0	1.4	1.9	2.7	5.8	9.0	9.1	10.5	10.9	11.0	12.2	13.4
trans(β)-Caryophyllene	30, 50	NQ	NQ	290, 340	90, 150	200, 190	260, 230	210, 200	290, 300	230, 150	190, 210	130, 100
α-Bergamotene	–	NQ	NQ	30, 40	50, 80	60, 50	60, 50	80, 80	160, 150	180, 110	30, 30	70, 50
α-Humulene	–	NQ	NQ	90, 120	40, 60	80, 80	100, 80	80, 110	120, 120	90, 60	100, 100	80, 50
β-Farnesene	–	–	–	NQ	–	–	–	NQ	90, 90	60, 40	–	50, 80
β-Selinene	–	–	–	–	NQ	–	–	–	80, 80	90, 60	60, 80	–
α-Selinene	–	–	–	70, 50	30, 70	70, 70	50, 40	–	130, 110	80, 50	100, 110	50, 70
δ-Guaiene	–	–	–	–	–	90, 90	70, 70	90, 90	260, 260	310, 200	–	–
Guiana-3,9-diene	–	–	–	30, 50	–	–	40, 40	40, 50	–	–	–	–
β-Bisabolene	–	–	–	–	–	NQ	–	–	50, 50	40, 70	60, 60	–
Neoalloocimene	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	110, 100	60, 20	80, 80	–
Valencene	–	NQ	NQ	70, 100	70, 110	110, 100	130, 110	110, 110	240, 230	200, 130	180, 190	110, 80
Selina-3,7(11)-diene	–	NQ	30, 30	110, 150	110, 160	160, 140	190, 160	160, 180	350, 330	300, 200	250, 270	190, 140
α-Bisabolene	–	–	NQ	–	–	–	–	–	30, 30	40, 30	40, 40	130, 100
Nerolidol B (cis or trans)	NQ	–	–	–	50, 70	70, 60	70, 60	50, 90	120, 80	100, 70	80, 90	110, 70
(–)-Caryophyllene oxide	–	–	–	130, 220	30, 60	70, 70	70, 80	50, 120	100, 90	40, 30	120, 140	80, 60
Guaiol	–	–	NQ	–	90, 150	60, 50	200, 200	50, 100	–	–	290, 320	240, 180
(–)-Caryophyllene oxide	90, 170	–	–	40, 60	30, 40	–	50, 50	30, 70	40, 40	–	90, 100	–
10-epi-δ-Eudesmol	–	–	NQ	30, 50	90, 50	50, 50	210, 210	50, 100	–	–	360, 390	230, 170
Veridiflorol	–	–	–	–	–	–	100, 30	40, 90	–	–	190, 200	–
(+)-Aromadendrene	NQ	–	–	30, 60	NQ	NQ	–	–	40, 30	–	70, 80	50, 30
Elemol	–	–	–	–	–	–	90, 60	40, 70	–	–	90, 90	120, 50
β-Eudesmol	–	–	NQ	–	80, 100	–	130, 140	30, 80	–	–	200, 200	150, 110
α-Eudesmol	–	–	NQ	–	90, 120	–	150, 160	70, 140	–	–	220, 230	170, 130
Epiglobulol	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	120, 90	–	–
Palustrol	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	120, 130	–
trans-Longipinocarveol	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	120, 120	–
Bulnesol	–	–	30, 30	–	100, 160	50, 40	180, 190	40, 100	–	–	260, 280	230, 180
(–)-Caryophyllene oxide	50, 110	NQ	NQ	60, 90	–	50, 40	40, 60	40, 100	150, 150	–	110, 120	70, 70
α-Bisabolol	NQ	50, 70	30, 30	40, 70	130, 180	100, 90	140, 150	170, 260	330, 310	180, 140	570, 620	290, 190

No entry in the table means that the terpenoid was not detected; NQ: the terpenoid was detected but its concentration could not be estimated. Any compounds repeated in the table are based on the best matching mass spectrum in the MS library, however, based on the retention times (RTs) it can be confirmed that they are all different terpenoids. Results are rounded to the nearest 10 µg/g; rep 1 and rep 2 refer to measurements from the same cannabis sample during different smoking sessions on different days, each time collected from five joints.