Characterization of Some "Hashish" Samples in the Egyptian Illicit Trafficking Market Using a Thermal Separation Probe and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

Saad S M Hassan; Ayman H Kamel; Nasser S Awwad; Awaad H A Aboterika

doi:10.1021/acsomega.3c02809

Characterization of Some "Hashish" Samples in the Egyptian Illicit Trafficking Market Using a Thermal Separation Probe and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

ACS Omega. 2023 Jul 5;8(28):25378-25384. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.3c02809. eCollection 2023 Jul 18.

Authors

Saad S M Hassan¹, Ayman H Kamel^{1

2}, Nasser S Awwad³, Awaad H A Aboterika⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11566, Egypt.
² Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Bahrain, Zallaq P.O. Box 32038, Bahrain.
³ Department of Chemistry, King Khalid University, P.O. Box 9004, Abha 61413, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Central Laboratory, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11566, Egypt.

Abstract

Drugs that are illegal have long been a part of Egyptian society. The most widely misused form of narcotic is marijuana, also known as "bango", and other cannabis-related products like "hashish". The chemical profile of some available "hashish" in the local Egyptian illegal market and its possible country of origin are investigated using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry technique in conjunction with a thermal separation probe (TSP/GC/MS). The TSP/GC/MS method reveals the presence of 23 different terpenes, of which caryophylla-4(12),8(13)-dien-5α-ol, isoaromadendrene epoxide, caryophyllene, and alloaromadendrene oxide-(1) are detected in high relative proportions. Ten cannabinoid components are also detected. These are cannabiorcochromene (CBC-C1), tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-8-THC), exo-THC, cannabichromene, cannabidiol (CBD), cannabielsoin (CBE), dronabinol (delta-9-THC), cannabigerol (CBG), and cannabinol (CBN). Phenotypic index (THC % + CBN %)/CBD %) is measured for the test samples to identify both the nature of the samples (fiber- or drug-type cannabis) and the country of origin.