Abstract
Nitric oxide in cigarette smoke was conveniently determined by non-dispersive infrared analysis (NDIR). Recoveries of 95 % were obtained with standard gas-air mixtures but recoveries from smoke increased from 87% for high-yield to 91 % for low-yield cigarettes. Relative error was about 4 %. A reduction in the dead volume of Cambridge filter cassettes, to reduce the amount of NO reacted between puffs, increased NO deliveries of cigarettes by 4%. Deliveries of NO were estimated to average 4 % lower due to oxidation, but reaction with other smoke components reduced them further depending upon concentrations. The NO deliveries of cigarettes increased as blend nitrate increased and as the flow of air around cigarettes decreased. Nitric oxide in smoke and in standard gas-air mixtures, determined by non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) spectroscopy, was substantiated by an automated colorimetric analysis. Interfering smoke species were determined and circumvented in both methods.