title: Quantitation of nicotine in tobacco products by capillary electrophoresis.
abstract: A simple and rapid capillary electrophoresis (CE) method was developed for the quantitation of nicotine in commercial tobacco products. The method involves a 6 min run at 30 kV, using a 50 mM phosphate buffer (pH 2.5), paraquat as internal standard, and UV detection at 260 nm. Nicotine was extracted from tobacco products in <15 min. Recoveries from spiked extracts were >95%, and the extraction efficiencies of water, 1 M HCI, 1 M acetic acid, 5 mM phosphate buffer (pH 2.5), and 1% triethanol amine were similar. Nicotine concentrations in 67 samples of cigarettes, cigars, and bidis varied between 0.37 and 2.96% (w/w). An established gas chromatography/mass spectrometry method using toluene extraction consistently yielded lower nicotine values than the CE method. Experimental evidence suggests that this is due to insufficient extraction of nicotine by toluene.
authors.affiliation: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, National Laboratory Center, Rockville, MD 20850, USA. MBClarke@atfhq.atf.treas.gov
authors.forename: Michelle Bruffey
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Clarke
mesh_terms: D000470:Alkaloids / Q000032:analysis; D019075:Electrophoresis, Capillary; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D009538:Nicotine / Q000032:analysis*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D009538:Nicotine