The Identification of Synthetic Impurities in a Vape Pen Containing Δ⁹-Tetrahydrocannabiphorol Using Gas Chromatography Coupled with Mass Spectrometry

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Please see attached file with comments and suggestions. 

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Quality of English is generally acceptable. A few instances of run-on sentences or incoherent thoughts. Some punctuation suggestions have been made (particularly around use of commas). 

Author Response

Dear Reviewer

Thank you very much for the detailed review. It helped us a lot in improving the quality of our manuscript. Please see the attachment for our answers to your comments.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The article work entitled "Characterization of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabiphorol synthesis side products from a vape pen by GC-MS” provides a well-done characterization results regarding the vape pen contents of cannabis derivatives which widely used globally in the recent years. The work seems novel and valuable in the field and contributes meaningfully to the ongoing efforts to characterize and identify the contents of vape pen which could be accepted in the psychoactives journal after justifying the following points:

 

 

·       The authors are encouraged to updates their title to be more attractive for readers and researchers

·       The authors should reduce the similarity percentage accordingly  

·       The authors should increase the numbers of the references regarding some recent similar work

·       The started sentence of the abstract should be improved

·       Several derivatives and chemicals were observed according to the results data, and the authors claimed that may come for the synthetic procedure, it is recommended to write in the abstract how many compounds other than THCP and 10% terpenes were found

·       The authors should add a conclusion section to the abstract and what is their recommendation to reduce these side products

·       To the introduction section the authors are encouraged to add some statistical data regarding the prevalence of using these products and their effects on the heath

·       Regarding the results in the figure 1 I would like to ask the authors to add the percentage of each compound under each peak

·       The biological activities of each detected compound could be added to the discussion section which could improve the work accordingly with some recent works

·       Best wishes

Author Response

Dear Reviewer

Thank you very much for the helpful review. Your input was a great benefit in improving the quality of our manuscript. Please see the attachment for our answers.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This manuscript has been greatly improved. Just a few easily addressed comments are attached.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Again, great improvement with only a few minor suggested corrections. 

Author Response

Dear Reviewer

Thank you again for your very helpful review. Your input improved the quality of the manuscript drastically!

The language was corrected as you suggested. We added two references to support the statement that the known semi-synthetic cannabinoids are partial agonists on CB1. (reference 17 and 18)

We separated the sample preparation for untargeted analysis in two parts (one for the references, the other for the sample fractions). The lines 136-140 discuss the sample preparation of the column chromatography fractions (either undiluted injection or prior sample concentration).

In behalf of the authors

Willi Schirmer