ARMY PUBLIC SCHOOL

JODHPUR

CHEMISTRY PROJECT
NICOTINE IN CIGARETTES

SUBMITTED TO: Dr AMARNATH SINHA

SUBMITTED BY: SANDEEP SINGH
CLASS : XII-B
ROLL NO : 36

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 CONTENTS
 CERTIFICATE
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
 WHAT IS NICOTINE?
 USES
 EFFECT OF NICOTINE
 METHODS OF ANALYSIS
 QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE
ANALYSIS
 EXPERIMENT
 OBSERVATION AND CONCLUSION
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

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 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that this

project report entitled “NICOTINE
IN CIGARETTES” submitted to
CHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT, ARMY PUBLIC
SCHOOL, JODHPUR, is a bonafide
record of work done by SANDEEP
under my supervision during the
academic year 2017-2018.

SIGNATURE
SIGNATURE

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CHEMISTRY TEACHER
EXTERNAL TEACHER

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I take this opportunity to

express my profound gratitude and
deep regards to my mentor Dr
AMARNATH SINHA for his exemplary
guidance, monitoring and constant
encouragement throughout the
course of this project. The
blessing, help and guidance given
by him time to time shall carry
me a long way in the journey of

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life on which I am about to
embark.

WHAT IS NICOTINE?
Nicotine is
a potent parasympathomimetic stimulant and
an alkaloid found in the nightshade family of
plants. Nicotine acts as an agonist at
most nicotinic acetylcholine
receptors (nAChRs), except at two nicotinic
receptor subunits (nAChRα9 and nAChRα10)
where it acts as a receptor
antagonist. Nicotine is found in the leaves

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of Nicotiana rustica in amounts of 2–14%,
the tobacco plant Nicotiana tabacum, Duboisia
hopwoodii and Asclepias syriaca.
Nicotine constitutes approximately 0.6–
3.0% of the dry weight of tobacco. It also
occurs in edible plants,
especially Solanaceae such
as eggplants, potatoes, and tomatoes, but at
trace levels generally under
200 nanograms per gram, dry weight (less
than .00002%). Nicotine functions as
an antiherbivore chemical; consequently,
nicotine was widely used as
an insecticide in the
past and neonicotinoids such
as imidacloprid are currently widely used.
Nicotine is highly addictive. An
average cigarette yields about 2 mg of
absorbed nicotine, and in lesser doses of
that order, the substance acts as
a stimulant in mammals, while high amounts
(50–100 mg) can be harmful. This stimulant
effect is a contributing factor to the
addictive properties of tobacco smoking.
Nicotine's addictive nature includes
psychoactive effects, drug-reinforced

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behavior, compulsive use, relapse after
abstinence, physical dependence and
tolerance.
Beyond addiction, both short and long-term
nicotine exposure have not been established
as dangerous to adults, except among certain
vulnerable groups. At high-enough doses,
nicotine is associated with poisonings and
is potentially lethal. Nicotine as a tool
for quitting smoking has a good safety
history. There is inadequate research to
show that nicotine itself is associated
with cancer in humans. Nicotine in the form
of nicotine replacement products is less of
a cancer risk than smoking. Nicotine is
linked to possible birth defects.

Name
Nicotine is named after the tobacco plant
Nicotiana tabacum, which in turn is named
after the French ambassador in Portugal,
Jean Nicot de Villemain, who sent tobacco
and seeds to Paris in 1560, presented to

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the French King, and who promoted their
medicinal use. The tobacco and its seeds
were brought to Ambassador Nicot from
Brazil By Luis de Gois, a Portuhuesse
colonist in Sao Paulo.

Structure of Nicotine

Chemical Identification

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Nicotine was first isolated from the
tobacco plant in 1828 by physician Wilhelm
Heinrich Posselt and chemist Karl Ludwig
Reimann of Germany, who considered it a
poison.Its chemical empirical formula was
described by Melsens in 1843, its structure
was discovered by Adolf Pinner and Richard
Wolffenstein in 1893, and it was first
synthesized by Amé Pictet and A. Rotschy in
1904.

Side Effects

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 Tobacco
Tobacco is a product prepared from the leaves
of the tobacco plant by curing them. The plant

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is part of the genus Nicotiana and of
the Solanaceae (nightshade) family.
While more than 70 species of tobacco are
known, the chief commercial crop is N.
tabacum. The more potent variant N.
rustica is also used around the world.
Tobacco contains the alkaloid nicotine, which
is a stimulant. Dried tobacco leaves are
mainly used
for smoking in cigarettes, cigars, pipe
tobacco, and flavored shisha tobacco. They
can be also be consumed as snuff, chewing
tobacco, dipping tobaccoand snus.
Tobacco use is a risk factor for many
diseases, especially those affecting
the heart, liver, and lungs, as well as many
cancers. In 2008, the World Health
Organization named tobacco as the world's
single greatest preventable cause of death.

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 Nicotiana
Nicotiana is better known as tobacco. An
excellent choice for a moon garden,
Nicotiana’s blooms are in their finest
glory in the evening with a strange
luminescence and a pleasing scent. There
are many hybrids that will stay open all
day, but they do not have as pleasing a
scent. Nicotiana is a tropical perennial,
but it is grown as an annual in northern
zones.
Varieties
N. alata Jasmine Tobacco or Ornamental
tobacco is a lovely plant, about three feet
tall, with many 1 inch, star-shaped, tube-
like flowers that bloom from midsummer to
autumn. Although it can reach up to four
feet in mild areas, it is compact enough
for small gardens. There are many different
colored cultivars available ranging from
lime green to red. It is very fragrant,
especially at dusk.
N. sylvestris Flowering tobacco can grow up
to six feet tall in tropical areas with
very long, white, tube like flowers that

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appear in a cluster atop a stalk. Its scent
is more intense than N. alata and its
foliage is impressive even before the
springtime flowers open.
N. tabacum Smoking Tobacco grows quite tall
with fragrant, star-shaped flowers, white
to purple or red, that attract moths at
night. This is the species grown
commercially for the tobacco industry. It
is also known as cultivated tobacco or
Virginia tobacco.
USES

Medical
The primary therapeutic use of nicotine is
in treating nicotine dependence in order to
eliminate smoking with the damage it does to
health. Controlled levels of nicotine are
given to patients through gums, dermal
patches, lozenges, electronic/substitute
cigarettes or nasal sprays in an effort to
wean them off their dependence. Studies
have found that these therapies increase
the chance of success of quitting by 50 to

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70%, though reductions in the population as
a whole have not been demonstrated.
Enhancing performance
Nicotine is frequently used for its
performance-enhancing effects on cognition,
alertness, and focus. A meta-analysis of
41 double-blind, placebo-controlled studies
concluded that nicotine or smoking had
significant positive effects on aspects of
fine motor abilities, alerting and
orienting attention, and episodic and
working memory. A 2015 review noted that
stimulation of the α4β2 nicotinic
receptor is responsible for certain
improvements in attentional
performance; among the nicotinic
receptor subtypes, nicotine has the
highest binding affinity at the α4β2
receptor (ki=1 nM), which is also the
biological target that mediates
nicotine's addictive properties.

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Recreational
Nicotine is commonly consumed as a
recreational drug for its stimulant
effects. Recreational nicotine products
include chewing
tobacco, cigars, cigarettes, e-
cigarettes, snuff, pipe tobacco, and snus.

Chemistry
Nicotine is a hygroscopic, colorless to
yellow-brown, oily liquid, that is readily
soluble in alcohol, ether or light
petroleum. It is miscible with water in
its base form between 60 °C and 210 °C. As
a nitrogenous base, nicotine
forms salts with acids that are usually solid
and water-soluble. Its flash point is 95 °C
and its auto-ignition temperature is 244 °C.
Nicotine is readily volatile (vapor
pressure 5.5 ㎩ at 25 ℃) and dibasic (Kb1 =
1×10⁻⁶, Kb2 = 1×10⁻¹¹).

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Nicotine is optically active, having
two enantiomeric forms. The naturally
occurring form of nicotine
is levorotatory with a specific rotation of
[α]D = –166.4° ((−)-nicotine).
The dextrorotatory form, (+)-nicotine is
physiologically less active than (–)-
nicotine. (−)-nicotine is more toxic than
(+)-nicotine. The salts of (+)-nicotine are
usually dextrorotatory. The hydrochloride
and sulphate salts become optically
inactive if heated in a closed vessel above
180 °C.
On exposure to ultraviolet light or various
oxidizing agents, nicotine is converted to
nicotine oxide, nicotinic acid (vitamin
B3), and methylamine.

Effects of Nicotine
Nicotine is the harmful, addictive
substance found in all tobacco products.
When you smoke a cigarette, chew tobacco,
or otherwise ingest nicotine, the effects
are immediate:

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o Nicotine travels through the body in the
bloodstream and heads straight for the
brain, arriving in 7 to 15 seconds.
o In the brain, nicotine boosts the “reward
center,” releasing chemicals that cause a
pleasant, happy feeling.
o Adrenaline is then released, increasing
heart rate and blood pressure, and making
breathing rapid and shallow. As nicotine
use continues, these effects can damage
your heart, arteries, and lungs,
increasing the risk for heart attack,
stroke, and chronic lung disease.

 How is nicotine addictive?

Over time, nicotine affects the
neurotransmitters in the brain, changing
the way certain brain cells work. When one
stops using nicotine, the changes remain
for a while until the brain can revert back
to its normal state. These changes are what
cause the withdrawal symptoms
characteristic of addiction. In fact,

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nicotine chemically changes the brain in a
similar way to heroin and cocaine, so it’s
no wonder so many tobacco users have a hard
time quitting!

Once the body is free of nicotine, it no

longer works in the same way it did when it
had a regular supply of nicotine. It can
take as long as 4 to 6 weeks for the brain
to readjust to life without nicotine as it
“re-learns” how to make the chemicals to
stimulate the pleasure centers on its own.
It is during this transition period that
former nicotine users may crave nicotine or
feel irritable, anxious, or depressed. But
don’t worry. After some time as the brain
heals, these feelings and cravings will go
away. If you can fight through cravings,
get support, think about medications to
help, and use your coping strategies, you
will succeed.

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 Methods Of Analysis
1. Spectometry
A rapid and accurate method for the
determination of nicotine by UV
spectroscopy has been developed. The UV
spectrum of nicotine shows sharp adsorption
maximum at 26*C. The exact position and
intensity of maximum is influenced by
presence if acid. The sensitivity of
detection is however greater in acid
solution and hence the method is well
suited to determine nicotine in a steam
distillate.

2. Column Chromatography
Nicotine and non-nicotine are separated by
partition on column of starch. A Para
silicate glass column 75cm long and 20cm in
diameter constricted at one end to hold an
aluminium perforated disc is taken. The
disc is covered by a small plug of cotton.

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The column is prepared by taking 5g of
starch and suspending it in 35-45 ml of n-
butanol saturated water at room temperature
and level of solvent is allowed to fall to
the excess of butanol. 1g of finely divided
and powdered tobacco sample is mixed with
25g of powered Ba(OH)2 and H2O and is
thoroughly stirred. If the sample contains
more than 0.1g NH3 , it should be left
desiccators over concentrated H2SO4 for 15-
20 hours. About 1g of dry starch os added
to enable it to be transferred through a
funnel to the top of the column. The sample
is washed with hexane under gentle pressure
. The effluent is collected in a 500 mol
flask. Nor-nicotine which is retained in
the column is then diluted by washing the
column with 200 ml of chloroform.The
fraction is then analyzed by
filteration.100 ml of distilled wated is
added to the effluent followed by 2 drops
od bromocresol green indicator and 0.2 m
NH4CL. The solution is shaken vigorously.
The phases are allowed to separate . A 50
ml aliquot of water phase is removed by

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pipette and the excess acid titrated with
0.02 m of NaOH using 0.01% methyl red
indicator.

QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS

1. Gracimetric method
Reagent used: 120g of Silico-tungsten acid
in water dilute to 1 liter.

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Method:-This method is based on
distillation involving a kjeldah flask. A
sample containing less than 1g nicotine was
taken. 10ml sample is placed in a suitable
receiver so that condenser tube is dipped
into HCL, 10 ml of NaOH and 10g of NaCL is
added and through the stopper of the flask,
steam is passed. Trap Burk is connected to
a well cooled condenser. The lower end dips
below the surface of HCL in receiver. After
Distillation of Steam, about 1 liter of
condensate is collected by silico-tungsten
acid for each 0.01h of nicotine. The
mixture is stored and allowed to stand at
room temperature and is filtered, washed,
dried and finally weighed.

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 EXPERIMENT:

Apparatus required:
1. Bell jar
2. Thistle funnel
3. Rubber sheet
4. Cotton
5. Weight box
6. Cork
7. Cigarette
8. Beam balance

Theory:
When a cigarette is burnt, a mixed
weight of nicotine and other gases are
released as a result of combustion.
Theoretically, % of nicotine =
(Wt.of nicotine deposited / loss in wt.
of nicotine) x 100

Procedure:

The rubber sheet is tightly bound over

the open end of the jar. The thistly
funnel attached to the neck of the bell
jar and cotton of known weight is placed

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 in the funnel. The cigarette is fixed in
the bore of the cork and then attached
to the funnel. Four marks are put on 1
cm each on the cigarette so that it is
burnt to same extent. Burn the cigarette
on the top and move the rubber sheet up
and down to expect air. When the
cigarette is burnt to the mark, the
experiment is stopped and the cigarette
is weighed. It was found that cigarette
lost some weight while cotton gained.
The ratio gave relative mass of nicotine
and thus its percentage is found.

Observations:

S Brands For cigarette For cotton % of

N plug nicoti
o ne

Initi Fina Los Initi Fina Gai

al l t al l n
Wt. Wt. Wt. Wt. Wt. wt
1 Four 742 335 407 129 138 9 2.65%
Square
2 Gold 812 398 415 132 142 11 2.20%
Flake

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 3 Marlboro 795 415 380 134 143 9 2.40%

4 Chancel 802 417 385 138 142 4 1.04%

lor
Harvard
5 Dunhill 883 453 430 128 136 8 1.80%
Conclusion:
Percentage of nicotine observed in
different brands is mentioned above.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 WWW.GOOGLE.COM
 WWW.WIKIPEDIA.ORG
 WWW.CHEMISTRYPROJECTS.COM
 WWW.ENCYCLOPEDIA.COM

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