Isomerization process for Green Dragon?

[dragonrider]

Isomerization is the transformation of a molecule into another isomer.

Wouldn't the extraction itself be a form of isomerization?

I don't think so. Some isomerization might inadvertently occur during the extraction because of the heating, but the purpose of the extraction is just to get the cannabinoid molecules out of the weed and into the solution --- it is not actually meant to change the chemical structure of the cannabinoids that are extracted.

What you said about isomerization being the transformation of a molecule into another isomer is true. In chemistry, an isomer is a chemical compound that has the same number and kind of atoms in it, but in a slighly different arrangement --- this means it has different chemical properties. For what we are trying to do, different isomers of THC produce different kinds of highs --- some don't produce any high at all, and we want to convert those into forms that do produce a high.

So what we are talking about here is three different processes (not necessarily in this order):

1. Extraction: Getting the cannabinoids out of the weed and into solution (green dragon tincture, green dragon liqueur, hash oil, glycerine tincture, etc.).
   
2. Decarboxylization: Removing a carboxyl group from THCA to make THC. This changes the number and kind of atoms in the chemical compound, so it is not technically isomerization, but it is still one of the most important chemical conversions in this process.
   
3. Isomerization: Converting different THC isomers to active forms of THC. Some people have mentioned in different posts that this includes converting CBD, CBN, etc. to THC. I do not know enough chemistry to know if these conversions are truely isomerization processes (converting one form of THC to another) or if they actually convert chemical compounds that have a different number and kind of atoms into THC. If they are making non-THC compounds into THC, then I would say they are more similar to the decarboxylization process that changes the chemical compound, and they are not true isomerization processes. But regardless, converting these componds to THC is one of the things we want to do, as well as true isomerization processes that change different forms of THC into the most useful isomers.

I was thinking about the lemon juice idea. Does it matter what kind of acid? I'm under the impression that the citric acid varies quite a bit from the hydrochloric acid, or sulfuric acids in the way that it's produced, and even how it dissolves and evaporates. I know you can find 10-15% hyrdochloric acid in some household cleaners, but I really wouldn't want to go through the extraction process to seperate the acid from the other chemicals. Especially since it might not even work once I use the acid. It would be a waste of cleaner, time, and then later weed. Wasting weed is the worst thing I could do in this process.

You are correct that hydrochloric acid and citric acid are completely different. Your question about whether it matters is actually the original question of this thread, and I don't think we've answered it yet. Does anyone know? I am wondering it HCl is REQUIRED for some of the isomerization chemical reactions to occur, or not. Does the acidic environment just speed up reactions that would occur naturally under heat? Or is an acidic environmnt required? If an acidic environment is required, then is citric acid acidic enough?

I am personally not interested in buying HCl, which I think would be relatively easy to get through a chemical supply source. And I am definitely not interested in isolating it out of cleaners! I get a bit nervous about putting these chemicals in my body, so I am trying to stick to regular cooking ingredientls meant for human consumption (grain alcohol, lemon juice, glycerine, etc.)

I did try the differences between re-cooking with and without the citric acids, and didn't really notice much of a difference, but then again, once you're high, you're high. I'm wondering if there's a saturation limit. I forget which cannabinoid it is, but one or more of them change metabolism to slow or speed up saturation of the other canabinoids in cb1's. Could that have something to do with me not being able to tell if this works or not? Basically, I'm so high, I can't tell if one is more than the other or not. Thus, my conclusion is that it doesn't matter. If the acid makes it stronger, fine, but the "not-as-strong" version is strong enough that I can't tell.

This was my experience too. I go soooo highhhhhh taking a one-ounce shot of my green dragon liqueur, cooked or uncoooked, that I couldn't really tell the difference! So I'm trying it again with half-ounce shots. What I am hoping to find is a way to make the half-ounce shots as strong as the one-ounce shots! If it doesn't work, then I am perfectly happy with what I've already got --- it turns a 1/8th of weed into a 750 ml bottle of green dragon liqueur, 24 one-ounce shot glasses of liqueur, and one shot glass will send you to the moon!

This is a very interesting topic, this has definitely got me paying attention. I could be completely off and wrong about what I said, this is just to my understanding. I want it to work with the citric acid, but I'm having problems telling if it is or not. I've made the green dragon a few times, and using this new recipe makes it quicker and easier. I had another question for the recipe itself though. What would happen if you distilled it? I haven't tried it out of sheer laziness to build a still.

I don't think you want to distill it after it has been extracted. I think running the final product through a still would leave behind all the THC in the part you would usually throw away! All that would come through the still would be the alcohol and some wierd flavor molucules.