Where Does Nicotine Come From?

One of the primary reasons you made the switch from smoking to vaping was likely the concern for what you put into your body. Vaping offered a satisfying alternative to smoking without the inhalation of harmful smoke.

For many individuals who have transitioned from smoking to vaping, the shift is not merely about swapping one habit for another; it is about making informed choices about what goes into their bodies. The desire for an alternative to smoking that doesn't involve inhaling smoke led many to the world of vaping. Yet, this newfound awareness often prompts vapers to delve deeper into the specifics of the substances they consume, including the Nicotine present in e liquid. So, where does Nicotine come from, and how is it integrated into the vast and intricate realm of vape juice?

What is Nicotine?

Nicotine is a chemical compound found in high concentrations in tobacco leaves. Comprising carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen, Nicotine is renowned for its stimulating and mood-enhancing effects. Additionally, it is notorious for its addictive properties. The tobacco plant, with roots dating back over 12,000 years in human history, is the primary natural source of Nicotine.

Are there any other sources of Nicotine?

Contrary to common perception, Nicotine is not exclusive to the tobacco plant. Plants belonging to the nightshade family, scientifically known as Solanaceae, also contain varying amounts of Nicotine. Every day, vegetables from this family, such as eggplants, tomatoes, and potatoes, carry trace amounts of Nicotine. However, the concentrations are significantly lower than those found in tobacco. Despite efforts to explore these vegetables as alternative nicotine sources, the impracticality of extracting applicable amounts has rendered the idea unviable.

To put this into perspective, consider the amount of eggplant needed to obtain the 40 mg of Nicotine found in a disposable vape, like the Innokin Innobar F600. While tobacco, with a nicotine content of up to 3 percent by dry weight, requires a little over a gram to produce the desired Nicotine, using eggplants would necessitate approximately 400 kg – an impractical and wasteful endeavor.

How Is Nicotine Extracted from Tobacco?

The journey of Nicotine from tobacco leaves to vape juice involves a meticulous extraction process. Laboratories employ proprietary methods that share common foundational steps:

1. Drying: Tobacco leaves undergo drying in an oven until most of the water content is eliminated.
2. Grinding: The dried leaves are ground into a fine powder, enhancing the surface area for optimal extraction.
3. Mixing with Solvent: The tobacco powder is combined with an alkaline solvent like ammonia. This increases the pH, converting Nicotine into a more volatile and easily captured free base.
4. Heating and Dissolving: The solution's pH is tested and heated to dissolve Nicotine into the solvent.
5. Fractional Distillation: The isolated Nicotine is separated from the solution using fractional distillation.

The extracted Nicotine, boasting over 99 percent purity, finds its way not only into vape juice but also into pharmaceutical products like nicotine gum and patches, where precision in nicotine content is crucial.

Where does Nicotine Salt come from?

The term "freebase" is integral to understanding nicotine extraction, especially when considering its evolution in vape juice. Most e-liquids, until the mid-2010s, exclusively utilized freebase nicotine. However, the advent of nicotine salt e-liquid addressed a notable issue – throat irritation caused by high-strength vape juice.

Nicotine salt, less alkaline than freebase nicotine, ensures a smoother experience at high nicotine strengths without throat irritation. Creating a nicotine salt e-liquid involves a simple process: adding a mild acid to a freebase e-liquid to lower the pH and converting Nicotine from a freebase to a salt.

How is Synthetic Nicotine made?

The quest for alternatives to tobacco-derived Nicotine led to the development of synthetic Nicotine, also known as tobacco-free Nicotine (TFN). Although the demand for synthetic Nicotine existed from the early days of the vaping industry, economically feasible synthesis processes emerged only recently. Vitamin B3 or niacin serves as a common starting molecule, undergoing chemical reactions to convert it into Nicotine. Synthetic Nicotine, available in both freebase and nicotine salt forms, presents a viable, tobacco-free option embraced by many e-liquid manufacturers.

What type of Nicotine is in my E-Liquid?

Armed with knowledge about Nicotine's origins, consumers may wonder about the type of Nicotine present in their e liquid. E-liquids can feature four different kinds of Nicotine:

1. Tobacco-derived freebase nicotine
2. Tobacco-derived nicotine salt
3. Synthetic freebase nicotine
4. Synthetic nicotine salt

Discerning the type is straightforward – check the label. If it mentions "Salt," the e-liquid contains nicotine salt. For synthetic Nicotine, terms like "Synthetic," "Tobacco-Free Nicotine," or "TFN" may be present. The absence of these terms suggests tobacco-derived freebase nicotine.

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