After continuing our individual research projects at the beginning of the day, we had the opportunity to observe Dr. Sean preparing hemp plant samples for chemical analysis for CBD, THC, and other cannabinoid content. To begin, he soaked a sample of hemp in Isopropanol to draw out and dissolve the cannabinoids into a solution that can be easily tested.
Next, he showed us how to appropriately dilute the samples so that the Liquid Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer (LCMS) machine could accurately analyze them. He performed a 100x dilution of the initial sample using Isopropanol and Acetonitrile, and also brought out control samples to calibrate the machine. He created a standard curve for the concentrations of each cannabinoid in the calibration samples. Then, we went over to the machine, where the samples would be analyzed. His setup is below.
