1. www.westcoastseparations.com +1-(805) 504-7767 3201 Corte Malpaso, Unit 310, Camarillo, CA 93012
Westcoast
Separations, LLC
“Building relationships with reliable and
cost-effective separation services”
SFC method for the fractionation of cannabinoids
It is well documented without accurate clinical data the multiple uses of cannabinoids for the
alleviations of debilitating symptoms of pain and spasticity in MS patients and as potentially
useful medication for various conditions such as migraine headaches, nausea and vomiting
typically associated with cancer patients on chemotherapy, wasting syndrome and appetite
stimulation in patients infected with HIV. As the number of states considering the legalization of
cannabis for medical and other uses, scientific researchers and clinicians are increasingly
interested in studying and performing controlled clinical trials. Accurate documentation of the
scientific findings of cannabis would help marijuana establish scientific respectability and gain
credibility in the medical profession so more doctors would be willing to write MMJ
recommendations.
Currently, there are no simple and efficient chromatographic methods suitable to scale up for the
fractionation of individual cannabinoids. Westcoast Separations, WcS, a California based
contract research organization, have developed a simple and efficient 2-step supercritical fluid
chromatography (SFC) method.
The conventional extraction techniques that have gained traction in the last couple of years for
acquiring plant extracts is supercritical fluid extraction (SFE). SFE is a simple method that
employs liquid carbon dioxide and a modifier but the run times to obtain only three products
(terpenes, CBD and THC) are very long and the purities of the fractions are usually questioned
for its intended purpose. WcS SFC method employed the use of two columns, column 1 is used
to achieve a baseline separation of 5 out of the 7 individual cannabinoids and column 2 for the

2. www.westcoastseparations.com +1-(805) 504-7767 3201 Corte Malpaso, Unit 310, Camarillo, CA 93012
baseline separation of the two partially separated compounds in the first step (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Step 1 of the separation of the individual cannabinoids
For step 2, based on the need and the compound of interest, two different type of Kromasil columns
were employed. These two columns showed different selectivity between the columns (Figure 2a
and b).
Figure 2a: Separation of the partially separated THC and CBDA in Step 1 using Kromasil
Ethyl Pyridine column (150 x 3.0 mm i.d.), 2.5µM. Mobile Phase was 90% carbon dioxide and
10% methanol at 3 ml/min with a BPR of 100 Bar.
CBD
CBC
CBN
CBG
CBDA
THC THCA
Time
0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 4.50 5.00 5.50 6.00 6.50 7.00 7.50
AU
0.0
2.0e-2
4.0e-2
6.0e-2
8.0e-2
1.0e-1
1.2e-1
1.4e-1
1.6e-1
1.8e-1
2.0e-1
2.2e-1
2.4e-1
2.6e-1
CBD
Time
1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00
AU
0.0
1.0e-1
2.0e-1
3.0e-1
THC
CBDA

3. www.westcoastseparations.com +1-(805) 504-7767 3201 Corte Malpaso, Unit 310, Camarillo, CA 93012
Figure 2b: Separation of the partially separated THC and CBDA in Step 1 using Kromasil
Silica column (150 x 3.0 mm i.d.), 2.5µM. Mobile Phase was 90% carbon dioxide and 10%
methanol at 3 ml/min with a BPR of 100 Bar.
CBD
Time
0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00
AU
0.0
2.0e-1
4.0e-1
6.0e-1
CBDA
THC