TOBACCO AND TOBACCO EXTRACT 647 



Nicotin. Method 7. 28 Solutions Required. (a) Alcoholic soda. 

 Dissolve six grams of sodium hydroxid in 40 cubic centime- 

 ters of water and 60 cubic centimeters of 90 per cent, alcohol. 



(b) Sodium hydroxid. Dissolve four grams of sodium 

 hydroxid in 1,000 cubic centimeters of water. 



(c) Sulfuric acid. A standard solution. 



Determination. Place from five to six grams of tobacco ex- 

 tract or 20 grams of finely powdered tobacco, which has been 

 previously dried at 60 so as to allow it to be powdered, in a 

 small beaker. Add 10 cubic centimeters of the alcohol-soda so- 

 lution and follow, in the case of the tobacco extract, with enough 

 chemically pure powdered calcium carbonate to form a moist but 

 not lumpy mass. Mix the whole thoroughly. Transfer this to 

 a soxhlet extractor and exhaust for about five hours with ether. 

 Evaporate the ether at a low temperature by holding over the 

 steam bath, and take up the residue with 50 cubic centimeters 

 of the dilute sodium hydroxid solution. Transfer this residue 

 by means of water to a kjeldahl flask, capable of holding about 

 500 cubic centimeters and distil in a current of steam, using a 

 condenser through which water is flowing rapidly. Use a three- 

 bend outflow tube, a few pieces of pumice, and a small piece of 

 paraffin, to prevent bumping and frothing. Continue the dis- 

 tillation till all the nicotin has passed over, the distillate usually 

 varying from 400 to 500 cubic centimeters. When the distilla- 

 tion is complete only about 15 cubic centimeters of the liquid 

 should remain in the distillation flask. Titrate the distillate 

 with standard sulfuric acid, using phenacetolin or cochineal as 

 indicator. One molecule of sulfuric acid is equivalent to two 

 molecules of nicotin. 



Nicotin. Method II. 29 Render a weighed amount of the sample 

 alkaline with 50 cubic centimeters of approximately tenth-nor- 

 mal soda and transfer to a round bottom flask of about 300 cubic 

 centimeters capacity with 150 cubic centimeters of distilled wa- 

 ter. Subject the whole to distillation in a current of steam in the 

 usual way and make the distillate to a volume of 500 cubic cen- 

 78 Bureau of Chemistry, Bulletin 107, 1907 : 32. 

 29 Emery, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 1904, 26 : 1113. 



