The Determination of Hydrogen Cyanide in Cigarette Smoke/Ueber die Bestimmung von Cyanwasserstoff im Cigarettenrauch

The authors have studied a method for the colourimetric determination of hydrogen cyanide in tobacco smoke. By this procedure, the cyanide content can readily be measured in the smoke of a single cigarette, or of individual puffs. It is also possible to determine separately the respective amounts in the gaseous and particulate phases of the smoke, as well as the amount retained in the butt. Various factors have been studied as to their possible influence upon the measurement. The mainstream smoke of a cigarette without filter was found to contain generally from 150 to 300 AAµg of cyanide. This content is little influenced by cellulose acetate filters, but can be appreciably reduced by filters containing adsorbent materials. In two types of cigarettes with different smoke pH, the cyanide retention by the tobacco butt, as well as the distribution between the gaseous and particulate phases, was found to differ.