Abstract
A novel method for the detection, separation, and quantification of the optical isomers of nicotine has been developed. The method has been applied to analyse extracts of tobacco seeds, processed tobacco suspensions, reconstituted tobacco sheet materials, individual tobacco varieties, blends of tobaccos, and cigarette smoke condensate. The methodology does not involve any further sample preparation other than that which is normally used to analyse tobacco alkaloids by the modified method of Gordon et al. (73), or the standard FTC smoke analysis routinely performed by most tobacco and smoke analysis laboratories. Near baseline resolution was obtained for enantiomers, yielding a lower detection limit of approximately 2 % d-nicotine in a mixture of d-and l-nicotine. There was essentially no d-nicotine found in any of the tobacco samples. Detectable levels of d-nicotine were found in most of the samples of cigarette smoke condensate when the cigarettes were smoke by the FTC method. The presence of Oriental tobacco in the cigarette appeared to be related to whether d-nicotine was generated in the mainstream cigarette smoke condensate. When the same cigarettes were smoked under a more stressful puffing regime the level of d-nicotine in the smoke did not increase and in some cases the level of d-nicotine decreased. This work supports prior literature that detected and quantified the presence of d-nicotine in cigarette smoke condensate.