A simple, rapid, and sensitive assay of nicotine in
tobacco has been developed using pyrolysis-gaschromatography-mass spectrometry (DSP-GC-MS). The optimum pyrolyzer (desorption) conditions,using Korean
tobacco grade B1O (0.4 mg) and
n-heptadecane as an internal standard, were foundto be heating from 50 to 300
![](/images/entities/deg.gif)
C at a rate of 60
![](/images/entities/deg.gif)
C/min. Replicate determinations (
n = 5), on thesame
tobacco and using
n-heptadecane as the internal standard, resulted in a nicotine content of1.96%, with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 1.9%. This result was in good agreement withthose from established methods: the Cai ether extraction method, a chloroform extraction method,and the CORESTA recommended method. However, the DSP method requires less than half thetime of the solvent extraction methods, requires less sample, is almost solvent-free, and is less labor-intensive. The DSP method was used to determine the nicotine content of eight
flue-
cured tobaccosfrom Brazil, China, Korea, and the United States, which were found to have contents ranging from1.21 to 2.19%.