Cis-THC

cis-THC
Identifiers
  • (6aS,10aR)-6,6,9-Trimethyl-3-pentyl-6a,7,8,10a-tetrahydrobenzo[c]chromen-1-ol
CAS Number
PubChem CID
ChemSpider
UNII
Chemical and physical data
FormulaC21H30O2
Molar mass314.469 g·mol−1
3D model (JSmol)
  • CCCCCC1=CC(=C2[C@@H]3C=C(CC[C@@H]3C(OC2=C1)(C)C)C)O
  • InChI=1S/C21H30O2/c1-5-6-7-8-15-12-18(22)20-16-11-14(2)9-10-17(16)21(3,4)23-19(20)13-15/h11-13,16-17,22H,5-10H2,1-4H3/t16-,17+/m1/s1
  • Key:CYQFCXCEBYINGO-SJORKVTESA-N

cis-THC (also known as cis-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and (-)-cis-Δ9-THC) is an isomer of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) found in the Cannabis plant but in lower quantities than the more well-known trans isomer. Formation of cis-THC could take place in process of epimerization associated with acid-catalyzed cyclization of CBD to THC. It has similar psychoactive effects to trans-Δ9-THC in tests on mice, but with only around 1/5th the potency. The equivalent Δ8 isomer is also known as a synthetic compound, but has not been isolated from Cannabis plant material. All four cis/trans isomers are known, though only the (6aR,10aR) and (6aS,10aR) enantiomers are psychoactive, while the others retain activity at targets such as GPR18 and GPR55.

A diagram showing the isomers of delta-9-THC with carbon number indicated according to dibenzopyran numbering scheme. Cahn-Ingold-Prelog R/S designation is indicated. Please note that "synthetic" here refers to macroscopic quantities, and that these stereoisomers that are labeled as synthetic may be present in C. sativa or other organisms at trace levels compared to trans-(-)-d9-THC

See also

References

  1. ↑ Palfreyman MG, Nivorozhkin A (2025-06-01). "Acid-Catalyzed Conversion of Cannabidiol to Tetrahydrocannabinols: En Route to Demystifying Manufacturing Processes and Controlling the Reaction Outcomes". Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research. 10 (3): 377–388. doi:10.1089/can.2025.0015. ISSN 2578-5125. PMID 40250991.
  2. ↑ Uliss DB, Dalzell HC, Handrick GR, Howes JF, Razdan RK (February 1975). "Hashish. Importance of the phenolic hydroxyl group in tetrahydrocannabinols". Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 18 (2): 213–215. doi:10.1021/jm00236a025. PMID 1120991.
  3. ↑ Smith RM, Kempfert KD (January 1977). "Δ1-3, 4-cis-tetrahydrocannabinol in Cannabis sativa". Phytochemistry. 16 (7): 1088–1089. Bibcode:1977PChem..16.1088S. doi:10.1016/S0031-9422(00)86745-X.
  4. ↑ Churchill KT (July 1983). "Synthetic tetrahydrocannabinol". Journal of Forensic Sciences. 28 (3): 762–772. doi:10.1520/JFS11571J. PMID 6311937.
  5. ↑ Ballerini E, Minuti L, Piermatti O, Pizzo F (June 2009). "High pressure Diels-Alder approach to hydroxy-substituted 6a-cyano-tetrahydro-6H-benzo[c]chromen-6-ones: a route to delta(6)-cis-cannabidiol". The Journal of Organic Chemistry. 74 (11): 4311–4317. doi:10.1021/jo9005365. PMID 19402693.
  6. ↑ Minuti L, Ballerini E (July 2011). "High-pressure access to the Δ9-cis- and Δ9-trans-tetrahydrocannabinols family". The Journal of Organic Chemistry. 76 (13): 5392–5403. doi:10.1021/jo200796b. PMID 21563759.
  7. ↑ Schafroth MA, Zuccarello G, Krautwald S, Sarlah D, Carreira EM (December 2014). "Stereodivergent total synthesis of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinols". Angewandte Chemie. 53 (50). International Ed. in English: 13898–13901. doi:10.1002/anie.201408380. PMID 25303495.
  8. ↑ Schafroth MA, Mazzoccanti G, Reynoso-Moreno I, Erni R, Pollastro F, Caprioglio D, et al. (September 2021). "Δ9-cis-Tetrahydrocannabinol: Natural Occurrence, Chirality, and Pharmacology". Journal of Natural Products. 84 (9): 2502–2510. doi:10.1021/acs.jnatprod.1c00513. hdl:20.500.11850/508697. PMID 34304557. S2CID 236431636.
  9. ↑ Dorsch C, Schneider C (April 2023). "Brønsted Acid Catalyzed Asymmetric Synthesis of cis-Tetrahydrocannabinoids". Angewandte Chemie. 62 (24) e202302475. International Ed. in English. doi:10.1002/anie.202302475. PMID 37057742. S2CID 258135845.