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    Cannabigerolic Acid (CBGA)

    Identity

    Property Value
    Preferred name Cannabigerolic acid (CBGA)
    IUPAC name (2E)-3-(3,7-dimethylocta-2,6-dien-1-yl)-2,4-dihydroxy-6-pentylbenzoic acid
    CAS number 25555-57-1
    PubChem CID 6449999
    InChIKey SEEZIOZEUUMJME-FOWTUZBSSA-N [^1]
    Molecular formula C22H32O4
    Molecular mass 360.49 g/mol (exact 360.2301 Da)
    Compound class Phytocannabinoid; olivetolic-acid derivative; meroterpenoid
    Stereochemistry No chiral centers; the (2E) geranyl geometry is natural. The (2Z) isomer is theoretically possible but not reported in nature [^1]
    Major synonyms Cannabigerolic acid, CBGA; decarboxylation product is CBG

    Identity notes

    • CBGA shares the molecular formula C22H32O4 with other acid isomers; LC-MS/MS with MRM transitions is required to resolve co-eluting acids [^1].
    • The geranyl (C10) side chain distinguishes CBGA (C22) from the C5-side-chain CBGVA (C17); confirm by MS/MS fragment at m/z 319 (geranyl loss) [^1].

    Physical properties

    Property Value Conditions / Notes
    Melting point ≈138–142 °C (decomposition) Cayman Chemical reference-standard certificate; certificate conditions apply and this is not a boiling point [^2]
    Boiling point No compound-specific atmospheric boiling point was located. CBGA is thermally labile; values copied from neutral CBG or generic predictions are not CBGA measurements [^3]
    Vapor pressure Not measured; no defensible compound-specific vapor-pressure value was located. Acid-form volatility is unresolved rather than a numeric estimate [^3]
    logP (octanol-water) 5.8 (computed) Acidic proton lowers logP vs. CBG (≈7.1)
    Water solubility <1 mg/L (practically insoluble) Soluble in ethanol, methanol, acetonitrile
    Thermal degradation In a 110 °C vacuum-oven kinetic study of extracts/reference material, CBGA conversion and substantial material loss were observed; GC-injector work at 250–350 °C also showed incomplete decarboxylation and secondary products. These are study conditions, not a universal onset [^4][^5]
    Oxidation / light sensitivity High; phenolic dihydroxy motif; UV accelerates decarboxylation and oxidation Under the cited storage condition (inert gas, amber, −20 °C), no universal thermal-stability threshold is assigned [^2]

    | Known degradation products | CBG (decarboxylation) [^4]; named secondary products were not resolved or confirmed in the cited studies and remain unresolved |

    Boiling point is not a device setpoint. The cited evidence does not establish an intact atmospheric boiling point for CBGA. Blog figures such as “CBGA boils at 180 °C” are not a substitute for a thermodynamic property, device setpoint, or sample temperature [^3].

    Thermal-extraction context

    CBGA-specific ambient vapor pressure and device release data were not located. Thermal release from botanical matrix may involve decarboxylation to neutral CBG, followed by evaporation, but the thermodynamic boiling point of the pure compound is not a device setpoint or a sample temperature. Device setpoint and actual sample temperature must be established separately [^3][^4][^5].

    Cannabis occurrence

    CBGA is the shared precursor of THCA, CBDA, and CBCA and is usually a minor measured analyte in mature flower, except in Type IV (CBG-dominant) material. Values are batch- and report-attached; no universal cultivar claim is made. Consult Lab Results for batch-level measurements.

    Biosynthesis and processing

    CBGA is biosynthesized from geranyl diphosphate (GPP) and olivetolic acid by geranylpyrophosphate:olivetolate geranyltransferase (GOT) [^6]. CBGAS/CBDAS/THCAS/CBCAS then cyclize or oxidize CBGA into the major acid cannabinoids; the relative synthase expression determines chemotype [^6].

    Reported biological activity

    Human evidence

    No controlled human study of isolated CBGA was identified in this archive’s literature review (as of 2026-08-08).

    Preclinical animal and in vitro evidence

    Preclinical studies report CBGA effects on ion channels and inflammatory signaling in vitro at micromolar concentrations; no human-relevant effect at consumer doses is established.

    Industry claims

    “CBGA is the mother of all cannabinoids” is a reasonable biosynthetic description (CBGA is the shared precursor of the major acid cannabinoids 1) but is often used as a marketing claim; health claims for CBGA lack controlled human evidence.

    Degradation products

    • Primary: CBG (decarboxylation) 2
    • Secondary: unresolved; CBC, CBL, CBSA, and quinone assignments require compound-specific confirmation

    Sources

    1. Fellermeier M, Zenk MH. Prenylation of olivetolate by a hemp transferase yields cannabigerolic acid, the precursor of tetrahydrocannabinol. FEBS Lett. 1998;427(2):283–285. PMID 9607329. ↩

    2. Wang M, Wang YH, Avula B, Radwan MM, Wanas AS, van Antwerp J, Parcher JF, ElSohly MA, Khan IA. Decarboxylation study of acidic cannabinoids: a novel approach using ultra-high-performance supercritical fluid chromatography/photodiode array-mass spectrometry. Cannabis Cannabinoid Res. 2016;1(1):262–271. doi:10.1089/can.2016.0020. PMID 28861498. ↩

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    Laboratory reports measuring this compound (1)

    Products with measurements (1)

    Related (6)