Throughout history, humans have produced a type of hashish with unique chemical characteristics by isolating the glandular trichomes of cannabis plants, compressing them, and allowing them to undergo a peculiar curing process. This ancient practice results in what is known today as hashishene, a product that many cannabis lovers consider to have distinct qualities compared to the original plant. But what causes this specific transformation, and how does it occur?
Some research about the rare compound hashishene brought new insights about the chemistry that underpins hashish. This chemical phenomenon not only differentiates hashish from cannabis flower, but also raises intriguing questions about terpenes and their influence on the plant's chemistry.
Hashishene, whose scientific name is 5,5-dimethyl-1-vinylbicyclo[2.1.1]hexane, is a unique molecule that forms during the curing process of hashish. It occurs when myrcene, a common terpene in cannabis, undergoes a chemical transformation. Unlike other terpenes, such as geraniol and linalool, which occur naturally in low concentrations in plants, hashishene can only be found in aged hashish.
Identified in 2014 by a team of scientists, hashishene exemplifies how specific conditions can transform cannabis, highlighting the unique chemical potential of this plant when worked in the traditional way.
How is hashishene formed and what particular effects does it have?
Hashishene’s creation is driven by environmental factors such as light, heat, and pressure over time. Unlike many terpenes, which degrade due to oxidation when exposed to air, hashishene follows a unique path in its formation.
Unlike oxidative products, hashishene is a true terpene composed only of carbon and hydrogen atoms. Researchers refer to it as a photolytic product, meaning that photons of light help convert myrcene into hashishene without oxidation occurring. While we know that light, heat, and pressure play a role, there is little research on exactly how long this transformation takes or how much hashishene is formed.
