Page 6 - Cannabis&Hemp Hemp Testing Solution

Potency Testing by LC-MS(/MS)

Some labs require a higher level of confirmation of the cannabinoids then a UV-Vis or photodiode array (PDA)
detector can provide as described on pages 4-5. That is where LC-MS and LC-MS/MS come in to play. The
advantages of LC-MS(/MS) are improved sensitivity (S/N), selectivity, and mass identification. As long as each
cannabinoid has a unique mass (does not pertain to isotopes), complete baseline resolution is not required. These LC-
MS(/MS) methods are also capable of measuring 16 or more cannabinoids.

LC-MS Analysis

Added confidence in identification can be obtained
using a single quadrupole MS and in-source
fragmentation. The cannabinoid list is the same
as on page 4 with the addition of CBNA, CBDVA,
THCVA, CBCA, and CBL. Under the conditions of the
experiment, neutral cannabinoids (top) such as Δ9-THC,
CBD, and CBL are ionized in positive mode while their
respective acidic cannabinoids (bottom) are ionized
in negative mode. For the full application, request
Shimadzu’s Application News No. HPLC-028.

Analysis of 16 Cannabinoids with the
Shimadzu LC-2040C 3D with mass
spectrometer (LCMS-2020)

LC-MS/MS Analysis

LC-MS/MS compared with LCMS (described above) provides a higher level of sensitivity (S/N), selectivity, and
confirmation of the compounds. UHPLC instead of HPLC can be used for faster analysis time. Also, full baseline
resolution of the cannabinoids is not required because of the selectivity of the triple quadrupole mass spectrometer.
The data includes MRM transitions for a quantifier ion and at least one qualifier ion. For the full application, request
Shimadzu’s Application News No. LCMS-108 for 16 cannabinoids.

CBCA
150 Δ9-THC D3
125

100 CBDA Δ9 - THC Δ9-THCA-A
75 CBDV CBG THCV CBN CBL
CBDVA CBD CBNA
50 Δ8 -THC
CBGA THCVA
25 CBC

0
0.75 1.00 1.25 1.50 1.75 2.00 2.25 2.50 2.75 3.00 3.25 3.50 3.75 4.00 min
Analysis of 16 Cannabinoids with Shimadzu’s Nexera UHPLC and LCMS-8050

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