Determination of the Transfer Efficiency of d-Nicotine to Mainstream Smoke

Experiments were conducted to independently determine the mainstream smoke transfer efficiency of d-nicotine and l-nicotine. Two types of cigarettes (University of Kentucky 2R1 reference cigarette and a cigarette prepared from reconstituted sheet material, TS1) were employed in the study. A chiral-gas chromatography-selected ion monitoring-mass selective detection analysis was used to separate and determine d- and l-nicotine. The two types of cigarettes were injected with varying levels of d- or l-nicotine (0-20 mg). The tobacco was removed from the nicotine-injected cigarettes and analyzed for total nicotine and d- and l-nicotine. The cigarettes were smoked under FTC (Federal Trade Commission) conditions, and the Cambridge pad extracts were analyzed for total nicotine and d- and l-nicotine. The total nicotine transfer efficiency and the transfer efficiencies of d- and l-nicotine were determined. Nicotine transfer efficiency is dependent on the type of tobacco employed in a blend and the configuration of the cigarette. As a result, the total nicotine transfer efficiency for the 2R1 cigarettes was different than for the TS1 cigarettes. Likewise, the independently measured transfer efficiencies for d- and l-nicotine were different between the two cigarettes. The transfer efficiencies of d- and l-nicotine were not found to be different within a cigarette type. The average transfer efficiency for d-nicotine in a 2R1 cigarette was determined to be 19.25%. The average transfer efficiency for l-nicotine in a 2R1 cigarette was 16.05%. The average transfer efficiency for d-nicotine in a TS1 cigarette was 10.15% and 10.65% for l-nicotine. These differences between d- and l-nicotine were determined not to be statistically significant and are of no practical consequence.