JDiz
08-10-2006, 03:55 PM
OK: here's the real deal, scientific explanation behind why organic peanut butter works BETTER than regular (although skippy and jif will work, just not as effectively)
First of all, it's important to remember that fatty acids with long chains are more susceptible to intermolecular forces of attraction than ones with shorter chains that are more strongly bonded with hydrogen.
The lack of the extra hydrogen atoms (such as the case in a poly-unsaturated fat like natural peanut oil) on the molecule's surface typically reduces the strength of the compound's intermolecular forces. Thus, with these weak molecular structures, they will bind more readily with other substances, such as THC, when exposed to a catalyst (in our case heat)
However, the makers of Jiffy and Skip hydrogenate their peanut butter because they want their product to have a long shelf-life and not have to be refrigerated after opening. Also, it's just more visually appealing to have the fatty acids well bonded and solid at room temperature than to have a little oil slick at the top. The downfall lies in the fact that a hydrogen bond contains massive amounts of energy. This energry is very difficult to break, but when it does there is a large net output (think hydrogen bomb)
Hydrogenation converts unsaturated fatty acids to saturated ones. But not completely. Since the original oils usually contain more than one double bond per molecule (that is, they are poly-unsaturated), the result is usually described as partially hydrogenated oil; that is some, but not all, of the double bonds in each molecule have been reduced. So, with a partially hydrogenated oil, you have less double bonds between carbons because more hydrogens are attached. Each carbon that is double bonded will readily bond with thc (whose chemical formula is C21-H30-O2) due to the nature of THC's structure.
So with skippy or jif, you are still going to have some double-bonds (remember: longer-chains w/ less hydrogen = more reactive) left over from the process that THC will bind to, but not as many.
So yes, you can indeed use skip or jiffy in a pinch but it's smarter from a chemistry point of view to use an organic peanut butter.
Sorry for the long post, but hopefully the confusion is a little clearer now.
First of all, it's important to remember that fatty acids with long chains are more susceptible to intermolecular forces of attraction than ones with shorter chains that are more strongly bonded with hydrogen.
The lack of the extra hydrogen atoms (such as the case in a poly-unsaturated fat like natural peanut oil) on the molecule's surface typically reduces the strength of the compound's intermolecular forces. Thus, with these weak molecular structures, they will bind more readily with other substances, such as THC, when exposed to a catalyst (in our case heat)
However, the makers of Jiffy and Skip hydrogenate their peanut butter because they want their product to have a long shelf-life and not have to be refrigerated after opening. Also, it's just more visually appealing to have the fatty acids well bonded and solid at room temperature than to have a little oil slick at the top. The downfall lies in the fact that a hydrogen bond contains massive amounts of energy. This energry is very difficult to break, but when it does there is a large net output (think hydrogen bomb)
Hydrogenation converts unsaturated fatty acids to saturated ones. But not completely. Since the original oils usually contain more than one double bond per molecule (that is, they are poly-unsaturated), the result is usually described as partially hydrogenated oil; that is some, but not all, of the double bonds in each molecule have been reduced. So, with a partially hydrogenated oil, you have less double bonds between carbons because more hydrogens are attached. Each carbon that is double bonded will readily bond with thc (whose chemical formula is C21-H30-O2) due to the nature of THC's structure.
So with skippy or jif, you are still going to have some double-bonds (remember: longer-chains w/ less hydrogen = more reactive) left over from the process that THC will bind to, but not as many.
So yes, you can indeed use skip or jiffy in a pinch but it's smarter from a chemistry point of view to use an organic peanut butter.
Sorry for the long post, but hopefully the confusion is a little clearer now.