WITHIN THE TOBACCO PLANT
NICOTINE OCCURS LARGELY IN 2 FORMS:
DIPROTONATED1
MONOROTONATED1
DIPROTONATED1
MONOROTONATED1
THEY ARE IONIC FORMS OF NICOTINE AKA NICOTINE SALTS2
IN MOST E-LIQUIDS AND CIGARETTE SMOKE
NICOTINE OCCURS MAINLY IN 1 FORM:
UNROTONATED1
UNROTONATED1
THIS IS NICOTINE IN ITS FREEBASE FORM3
1
IN CHEMISTRY, PROTONATION IS THE ADDITION OF A PROTON (H+) TO AN ATOM, MOLECULE OR ION.
DEPROTONATION IS THE REMOVAL OF A PROTON (H+).
2
IN CHEMISTRY, A SALT IS THE RESULT OF A REACTION BETWEEN AN ACID AND A BASE (ALSO NAMED ALKALI) CALLED NEUTRALISATION.
https://www.britannica.com/science/salt- acid-base-reactions
3
THIS MEANS THE NICOTINE MOLECULE IS NOW FREE FROM THE PROTONS IT GAINED FROM THE REACTION WITH ACIDS. IT CAN BE DONE BY ADDING A BASIC FLUID TO THE SOLUTION LIKE AMMONIA.
3 NICOTINE FORMS, VERY DIFFERENT pH
THE HIGHER THE pH, THE BETTER ABSORPTION BUT IT ALSO BECOMES HARSHER4
source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/nicotine
4
IN CIGARETTES, HARSHNESS IS BALANCED WITH USE OF ANESTHESIANT CHEMICALS THESE ARE NOT ALLOWED FOR
E-LIQUID MANUFACTURE. TO REDUCE HARSHNESS, E-LIQUIDS NEEDS LESS NICOTINE
NIC-SALTS E-LIQUIDS
UNROTONATED1
ORGANIC ACID
- BENZOIC ACID
- CITRIC ACID
- SACCHARIC ACID
...
UNROTONATED1
ORGANIC ACID
- BENZOIC ACID
- CITRIC ACID
- SACCHARIC ACID
...
Depending on the acid used in the ionisation of nicotine, the pH levels vary. With the right formula, a smooth hit is possible with higher nicotine levels whilst maintaining quick absorption.
SALT NICOTINE
LOWER POWERED DEVICES
SMOOTH AT HIGH LEVELS
EFFICIENT TO QUIT SMOKING
LONGER SHELF LIFE
MTL VAPING ONLY
LESS OPTIONS ON THE MARKET
MORE EXPENSIVE BY VOLUME
FREEBASE NICOTINE
HIGHER POWERED DEVICES
LESS EXPENSIVE BY VOLUME
SUITABLE FOR ALL VAPING STYLES
MORE FLAVOURS AVAILABLE
FASTER OXIDATION
TO BE AVOIDED AT HIGH LEVELS
SLOWER ABSORPTION
SOURCES:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protonation
- https://www.britannica.com/science/salt-acid-base-reactions
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/nicotine
- https://www.diffen.com/difference/Acid_vs_Base
- https://www.chemistryviews.org/details/ezine/6849801/The_Chemistry_of_Tobacco__Part_2.html
- http://www.vaporclassification.com/reports/NICOTINE_SALTS_E-LIQUID.pdf
- patent US 20150020824 A1: Nicotine salt formulations for aerosol devices and methods thereof
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK53014/
