Thermal Extraction Devices

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    Thermal engineering & extraction device archive

    Terpenes Reference Index

    Catalog of volatile terpene compounds detected in cannabis laboratory analysis and botanical sources.

    This collection provides physical property data (with boiling points referenced to their measurement pressure, sourced from NIST Chemistry WebBook where available and flagged where not), chemical identity, sensory character, and evidence-classified biological research for thermal extraction analysis.

    Boiling points are reported at the stated reference pressure. Where a value could not be confirmed against NIST, the record says so explicitly rather than implying a primary measurement. Biological activity is separated into human clinical evidence, preclinical animal evidence, in vitro evidence, traditional use, and marketing or anecdotal claims, and is never silently upgraded across evidence classes.

    All satellite records in this collection follow the form identifier schema terpenes/TTRP-XXXX.

    Collection catalog

    19 compounds are indexed below. Boiling points are a physical reference property of the pure compound — not a device setting. See Physical Property Data Standards (TREF-0001) and the boiling point vs device setting note before applying any value.

    Terpene CAS number Chemical family Boiling point (at reference pressure) Data confidence
    α-Bisabolol 515-69-5 Monocyclic sesquiterpenoid 153 °C at 0.667 kPa (5 mmHg) Secondary; no NIST normal BP
    α-Humulene 6753-98-6 Monocyclic sesquiterpene 264 °C at 101.325 kPa Secondary; unconfirmed by NIST
    α-Pinene 80-56-8 Bicyclic monoterpene 156 °C at 101.325 kPa NIST-verified (mean of 14)
    α-Terpineol 98-55-5 Monocyclic monoterpene alcohol ≈218 °C at 101.325 kPa NIST-verified (3 determinations)
    β-Caryophyllene 87-44-5 Bicyclic sesquiterpene 263 °C at 101.325 kPa Secondary; unconfirmed by NIST
    β-Myrcene 123-35-3 Acyclic monoterpene 167 °C at 101.325 kPa NIST-verified
    β-Pinene 127-91-3 Bicyclic monoterpene 166 °C at 101.325 kPa Antoine estimate
    Camphene 79-92-5 Bicyclic monoterpene 156–160 °C at 101.325 kPa ICSC/ChemicalBook; NIST too dispersed
    D-Limonene 5989-27-5 Cyclic monoterpene 176 °C at 101.325 kPa NIST-verified (mean of 18)
    Eucalyptol 470-82-6 Bicyclic monoterpenoid ether 176 °C at 101.325 kPa NIST-verified (mean of 6)
    Fenchol 1632-73-1 Bicyclic monoterpene alcohol ≈201–202 °C at 101.325 kPa Secondary (PubChem/GoodScents)
    Geraniol 106-24-1 Acyclic monoterpene alcohol ≈229–230 °C at 101.325 kPa Secondary (NTP/PubChem)
    Guaiol 489-86-1 Sesquiterpene alcohol 132–136 °C at 1.33 kPa (10 Torr) Secondary; no NIST normal BP
    Linalool 78-70-6 Acyclic monoterpenoid 198 °C at 101.325 kPa NIST-verified
    Nerolidol 7212-44-4 Acyclic sesquiterpenoid 276 °C at 101.325 kPa NIST (isomer record)
    Ocimene 13877-91-3 Acyclic monoterpene 176 °C at 101.325 kPa Predicted
    Sabinene 3387-41-5 Bicyclic monoterpene ≈164 °C at 101.325 kPa NIST-verified (2 determinations)
    Terpinolene 586-62-9 Monocyclic monoterpene 185 °C at 101.325 kPa NIST-verified (mean of 7)
    Valencene 4630-07-3 Bicyclic sesquiterpene 123 °C at 1.47 kPa (11 mmHg); ≈274 °C at 101.325 kPa Secondary; no NIST normal BP

    Reading the table

    • Pressure matters. Values are only comparable at the same reference pressure. Reduced-pressure values (e.g., α-bisabolol at 5 mmHg, guaiol at 10 Torr, valencene at 11 mmHg) cannot be compared directly with atmospheric-pressure values.
    • Confidence tiers follow the source hierarchy in TREF-0001: “NIST-verified” values are primary measurements from the NIST Chemistry WebBook; “Secondary” values come from authoritative compilations that could not be confirmed against NIST and are labeled as such on the record; “Predicted” values are estimates and are never presented as measured.
    • Higher boiling point ≠ better extraction target. Vaporization from real plant material depends on partial vapor pressure, moisture, airflow, and thermal conductance. A device set to a compound’s boiling point will not selectively extract only that compound.

    Composition of the collection

    • 13 monoterpenes/monoterpenoids (α-pinene, β-pinene, β-myrcene, camphene, d-limonene, eucalyptol, fenchol, geraniol, linalool, ocimene, sabinene, α-terpineol, terpinolene) — the more volatile fraction, released early from botanical headspace.
    • 6 sesquiterpenes/sesquiterpenoids (α-bisabolol, α-humulene, β-caryophyllene, guaiol, nerolidol, valencene) — lower volatility, higher standard boiling temperatures.
    • Every record keeps isomers and enantiomers as distinct identities (e.g., α-/β-pinene, D-/L-limonene, cis-/trans-nerolidol) and never collapses them.

    Measured occurrence in cannabis flower

    The table below summarizes the strongest peer-reviewed measured concentrations located in the cited primary literature and source notes, with each figure footnoted to its primary source where available. These describe what has been measured in laboratory analyses — they are not cultivar marketing claims, and no cultivar name is chemically fixed. Batch-level quantitations recorded from Certificates of Analysis live in Lab Results.

    Terpene Typical measured concentration in cannabis Basis (material & method) Source
    α-Bisabolol 0.66–0.68 mg/g dry weight — consistently minor (<1 mg/g) where detected Dried flower, hydrodistilled essential oil, validated GC-MS (2 US hemp cultivars) 1
    α-Humulene ≈0.1–2 mg/g dry weight Dried flower, GC-MS (hydrodistilled oil) and chemotype surveys 12
    α-Pinene Most abundant monoterpene in Finola hemp; dominant across chemotypes (range not reported) Dried flower, HS-SPME-GC-MS 32
    α-Terpineol 0.034–0.08 mg/g dry weight; 0.1–0.9 mg/g in dispensary flower — minor Dried flower, GC-FID (Univ. of Mississippi chemovars; California dispensary cultivars) 45
    β-Caryophyllene 3.89–4.69 mg/g dry weight — among the most abundant sesquiterpenes Dried flower, hydrodistilled oil, validated GC-MS (2 US hemp cultivars) 12
    β-Myrcene 5.85–8.62 mg/g dry weight — frequently the dominant monoterpene Dried flower, hydrodistilled oil, validated GC-MS (2 US hemp cultivars) 1
    β-Pinene 0.14–0.53 mg/g dry weight — minor relative to β-myrcene and limonene in the same samples Dried flower, hydrodistilled oil, validated GC-MS (2 US hemp cultivars) 1
    Camphene 0.002–0.09 mg/g dry weight (THC-dominant); up to ≈0.48 mg/g (CBD-dominant) Dried flower, chemotype surveys 52
    D-Limonene 0.53–2.64 mg/g dry weight (525–2,644 µg/g) — among the most abundant monoterpenes Dried flower, GC-MS (5 Canadian cultivars) 2
    Eucalyptol Detected in 3 of 19 cultivars; 0.01–0.39% of identified peak area where present Dried flower, HS-SPME-GC-MS (Thai cultivar survey) 6
    Fenchol 0.028–1.09 mg/g dry weight Dried flower, pooled literature survey (chemotypes I–III) 7
    Geraniol Trace to below limit of quantitation Dried flower, GC-MS (Finola hemp; 2 US hemp cultivars) 31
    Guaiol ≈10% of the terpene fraction in a high-CBD full-spectrum extract (flower data scarce) Extract, GC-MS 8
    Linalool Common but rarely dominant; batch-dependent, no fixed range Dried flower, chemotype surveys 2
    Nerolidol Usually absent or trace; <0.1% dry weight where above LOQ (Black Lime only) Dried flower, 9-cultivar GC-MS profiling 9
    Ocimene 0.19–1.38 mg/g dry weight (191–1,382 µg/g) in 4 of 6 cultivars, not detected in the rest; typically <5% of total terpenes Dried flower, 6 cultivars (GC-MS) 21
    Sabinene ≤0.005 mg/g dry weight (chemotype I), lower in chemotype III — trace Dried flower, pooled literature survey 7
    Terpinolene 0.18–30.5 mg/g dry weight (up to ≈3% of dry weight in one of nine cultivars) — highly variable Dried flower, hydrodistilled essential oil, GC-MS (9 Italian hemp cultivars) 10
    Valencene Trace (≤0.4 g/100 g of essential oil); no quantitative data located for drug-type flower Hydrodistilled essential oil (Italian hemp cultivars) 10

    Reading the occurrence table

    • Units and bases are not interchangeable. Dry-weight values (mg/g) describe the flower itself; essential-oil percentages (g/100 g oil) describe the distilled oil; peak-area percentages describe relative detector response. Only values on the same basis can be compared directly.
    • Concentrations are batch-, cultivar-, and method-dependent. Ranges reflect the cultivars and methods of the cited study, not a physical constant of the compound. Cultivar names are not chemically fixed across markets.
    • Absence is information. Compounds reported as trace, below LOQ, or not detected (e.g., geraniol, nerolidol, eucalyptol in most cultivars) are honest negatives — no marketing figure was substituted where peer-reviewed data are scarce.
    • Every range is footnoted to its primary source; the same figures appear with full context in each record’s Cannabis laboratory results section.

    1. Joy N, et al. A Validated GC-MS Method for Major Terpenes Quantification in Cannabis sativa L. Essential Oil. 2025. PMC12670203; PMID 40042239. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

    2. Booth JK, et al. Terpene synthases and terpene variation in Cannabis sativa. Plant Physiol. 2020;184(1):130–147. doi:10.1104/pp.20.00593. PMID 32591428. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

    3. Booth JK, Page JE, Bohlmann J. Terpene synthases from Cannabis sativa. PLoS One. 2017;12(3):e0173911. PMID 28355238. ↩ ↩2

    4. Ibrahim EA, et al. Quantitative Determination of Cannabis Terpenes Using Gas Chromatography-Flame Ionization Detector. Cannabis Cannabinoid Res. 2023;8(5):899–910. doi:10.1089/can.2022.0188. PMID 36322895. ↩

    5. Fischedick JT. Identification of Terpenoid Chemotypes Among High (−)-trans-Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol-Producing Cannabis sativa L. Cultivars. Cannabis Cannabinoid Res. 2017;2(1):34–47. PMID 28861503. ↩ ↩2

    6. Janta S, et al. Chemical profiling and clustering of various dried cannabis flowers. J Cannabis Res. 2024. doi:10.1186/s42238-024-00252-w. PMID 39639406. ↩

    7. Chacon FT, Raup-Konsavage WM, Vrana KE, Kellogg JJ. Secondary Terpenes in Cannabis sativa L.: Synthesis and Synergy. Biomedicines. 2022;10(12):3142. doi:10.3390/biomedicines10123142. PMID 36551898. ↩ ↩2

    8. Anil SM, Shalev N, Vinayaka AC, et al. Cannabis compounds exhibit anti-inflammatory activity in vitro in COVID-19-related inflammation in lung epithelial cells and pro-inflammatory activity in macrophages. Sci Rep. 2021;11. doi:10.1038/s41598-021-81049-2. PMID 33446817. ↩

    9. Zager JJ, Lange I, Srividya N, et al. Gene Networks Underlying Cannabinoid and Terpenoid Accumulation in Cannabis. Plant Physiol. 2019;180(4):1877–1897. ↩

    10. Mazzara E, et al. A Comprehensive Phytochemical Analysis of Terpenes, Polyphenols and Cannabinoids, and Micromorphological Characterization of 9 Commercial Varieties of Cannabis sativa L. Plants. 2022;11(7):891. doi:10.3390/plants11070891. ↩ ↩2