Determination of the Nicotine Content
of Tobacco in Common Tobacco Products
Department of Chemistry,
Abstract:
To gain an understanding of the nicotine content in different tobacco products, six solutions each containing Bali Shag rolling tobacco, American Sprit rolling tobacco, Marlboro Light, Carmel, Turkish Royal, Swisher Sweet cigar, or apple-flavor shisha tobacco were prepared. The samples were analyzed with a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer and the resulting data was used to determine the nicotine content per gram of each tobacco type. The nicotine concentration in the rolling tobacco had the highest nicotine content (Bali Shag with 20.1 mg/g and American Sprit with 18.1 mg/g) followed by the processed cigarettes (Marlboro Light 14.6 mg/g and Camel Turkish Royal 12.3 mg/g). The Swisher Sweet cigar was the next highest (10.8 mg/g) while the shisha had the lowest concentration of all the tobaccos (1.1 mg/g). Since rolling tobacco contains the most nicotine, it is likely the most addictive tobacco type tested.