Tetrahydrocannabinol ( IPA : /?t?tr??ha?dr?k??næb?n?l/ , tet-r?- HYE -dr?-k?- NAB -?-nol ), also known as THC , ? 9 -THC , ? 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), ? 1 -tetrahydrocannabinol (using an older chemical nomenclature ), or dronabinol , is the main psychoactive substance found in the Cannabis plant. more

Tetrahydrocannabinol ( IPA : /?t?tr??ha?dr?k??næb?n?l/ , tet-r?- HYE -dr?-k?- NAB -?-nol ), also known as THC , ? 9 -THC , ? 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), ? 1 -tetrahydrocannabinol (using an older chemical nomenclature ), or dronabinol , is the main psychoactive substance found in the Cannabis plant. It was isolated by Raphael Mechoulam , Yechiel Gaoni , and Habib Edery from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot , Israel in 1964 . [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ] In pure form, it is a glassy solid when cold and becomes viscous and sticky if warmed. An aromatic terpenoid , THC has a very low solubility in water, but good solubility in most organic solvents such as butane or hexane . Like most pharmacologically-active secondary metabolites of plants, THC in Cannabis is assumed to be involved in self-defense , perhaps against herbivores . [ 6 ] THC also possesses high UV-B (280-315 nm) absorption properties, which, it has been speculated, could protect the plant from harmful UV radiation exposure. [ citation needed ] less