Making the Most Out of the Medicine: Methods for Separating Minor Cannabinoids

Dr. King’s research and teaching focus is in the area of chemical separations, particularly in the use of sub- and supercritical fluids for chemical processing. Research is conducted to develop environmentally-benign methodology using compressed carbon dioxide and/or water as media for conducting extractions and reactions of natural/agricultural products, CO2 – based cleaning technology, as well as application to materials modification. These efforts have resulted in approximately 250 publications and 3 patents to date and many national/international presentations. A current research focus is to optimize the use of hot compressed water as a selective extraction agent or medium in which to process biomass. Using the above approach, coupled unit processes are developed with respect to yielding a sustainable “green” process, which has been optimized with respect to thermodynamics and mass transfer principles. Experimental approaches involve the measurement of high pressure phase equilibrium, solute solubility measurements in compressed fluids, and the use of chromatographic methods for physicochemical properties determination.

Currently, I work for Hybrid Tech as the Process Lead as well as Spektrum Cannabis Technologies as a Senior Chemist, located in Portland, OR. I worked for 3 years as an industrial hygiene chemist for OSHA, focusing on chromatography methods (GC, LC, and IC) to identify and quantify hazardous organic and inorganic substances collected by OSHA compliance officers. I graduated from the chemistry doctoral program at Indiana University, where my major was in inorganic chemistry and my minor in analytical chemistry. Before switching to inorganic chemistry I previously worked in an analytical chemistry lab for 2 years working on glow-discharge optical emission spectroscopy and instrumentation design. Most of my graduate career I worked in a computational and experimental inorganic lab where I combined both DFT calculations with experimental data to learn the fundamentals and applications of catalysis, mechanisms, and electron-transfer processes. My experimental experience involves inorganic and organic synthesis, electrochemistry, NMR, FT-IR, UV-Vis, mass spectrometry techniques (GC-MS and LC-MS), and atomic spectroscopy. I have aided in the instruction of undergraduate courses since 2008.

Rob Wirtz enjoys fast-paced sports and is a student of the entrepreneurial mindset. He brought his talents and his skills for team building to the Cannabis industry and is quickly making an impact.

John A. MacKay earned his B.A. in Chemistry at the St. Lawrence University. He also earned his Ph.D. At the University of Vermont, where he focused on Inorganic Chemistry and on the synthesis of cancer fighting compounds. After working in teaching positions at the University of Vermont, Lyndon State College, and Davidson College, John went on to join Waters Corporation in 1983.