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NICOTINE DETERMINATION FROM TABACCO BY GC/MS

DOINA ŞPAIUC^1,3, ADRIAN ŞPAC², LUMINIŢA AGOROAEI¹, ELENA BUTNARU^1*

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The paper presents the results of the quantitative determination of nicotine in 39 tobacco samples and tobacco products through the practical application of a validated GC/MS method. The isolation of nicotine was performed by extraction with methanol/dichloromethane 1/1 (v/v) and it was analysed by GC/MS using a DB 5 MS column (30 m x 0.25 mm, 0.25 μm), carrier gas helium; the detection was performed by mass spectrometry, MSD’s (mass spectrometric detector) source temperature was 230°C and the MSD’s quadrupole temperature was fixed at 150°C, in SCAN mode. The method’s validation was performed through the parameters: linearity, accuracy, precision, limits of detection and quantification. The values of nicotine content determined in cigarettes (31 samples) ranged between 10.14 and 21.15 mg nicotine/g of tobacco, with the average 15.35; the concentrations in cigars and pipe tobacco (6 samples) ranged between 13.15– 28.38 mg nicotine/g of tobacco (average 22); in tobacco leaves, the registered average content of nicotine was 26.79 mg /g of tobacco.