June i6,1933 
Determination of Nicotine 
965 
ABSENCE OF FOREIGN MATFRIAI, IN THE ACID SOLUTION OBTAINED FROM 
THE ether extract which MIGHT PRECIPITATE WITH THE REAGENT 
As experiments had shown that such material would more likely be 
obtained from tobacco than from extracts, aliquots of the same acid 
solution of tobacco were compared. One aliquot was distilled and 
determined by the silicotungstic acid method while the other aliquot was 
handled at this stage as described in the method above. The results are 
given in Table i. 
TabIvE I .—Percentage of nicotine in tobacco {moisture free) 
No. 
Chapin’s silico¬ 
tungstic acid 
method. 
Improved 
method. 
61422. 
1. 29 
2. 17 
0. 70 
7. 26 
5 - 47 
3-38 
1-33 
2. 23 
0-75 
7 - 30 
5-51 
3 - 42 
6142^. 
61426. 
614^6. 
614^7. 
Average. 
It is apparent from Table I that in the acid solution obtained from the 
ether extract of these samples, no foreign material is present which might 
precipitate with the reagent and materially affect the results, unless it is 
volatile with steam. 
THE AMOUNT OF AECOHOU USED IN THE MANNER PRESCRIBED IN THE 
method apparently does not HAVE ANY APPRECIABLE DETRIMEN¬ 
TAL EFFECT 
Duplicate determinations were made on different tobaccos, in one of 
which alcohol was used as prescribed, while in the other it was omitted. 
The results are given in Table II. 
Table II .—Percentage of nicotine in tobacco {moisturefree) 
80236 
80237 
80238 
80239 
80273 
80274 
80275 
80276 
80382 
80383 
80384 
Average 
No. 
Icohol 
ised. 
No alcohol 
used. 
6.94 
6. 80 
5 - 98 
6. 02 
6-35 
6. 30 
5 - 72 
5. 82 
2. 98 
2. 87 
2. 10 
2. 05 
1.79 
1.77 
0. 97 
0.9. 
7 - 77 
7 - 7 ^ 
7.04 
6. 94 
s- 78 
5-70 
4.86 
4. 82 
