Romanian Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences

« Back to Farmacia Journal 5/2014

NICOTINE DETERMINATION FROM TABACCO BY GC/MS

DOINA ŞPAIUC1,3, ADRIAN ŞPAC2, LUMINIŢA AGOROAEI1, ELENA BUTNARU1*

University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Grigore T. Popa", Faculty of Pharmacy, 16 University Street, 700115, Iaşi, Romania
1.Department of Toxicology
2.Department of Physical Chemistry,
3.Emergency Military Hospital, Iaşi

Download Full Article PDF

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.