Pulling natural nicotine out of plant sources sounds difficult, and it is. However, the use of natural nicotine in products to help people quit smoking is vital. It helps decrease the dangers associated with smoking and help people addicted to nicotine ease off until they can fully quit. Hiring a lab to extract nicotine from natural sources involves several steps.
Extracting Nicotine via a Lime Slurry
Lime is a highly corrosive material used to break down substances. In this case a lime slurry is used to break down tobacco leaves. It creates a chemical reaction that releases nicotine from the leaves and leaves behind a liquid-like substance. Chemists in a lab have to be very careful with this step in the process in order to avoid personal injury to themselves and surfaces.
Distillation and Condensation
Next the slurry tobacco mess is boiled under pressure to distill it. This creates a tobacco oil layer that is then exposed to a condensation process for extraction. The remaining slurry is disposed of as chemical waste. The condensed condensate of tobacco oil drains off into a separate container and filtered for purification.
The Kerosene Step
If you have ever wondered why cigarettes list kerosene as an ingredient, this last step for nicotine extraction is why. To get the nicotine out of the condensate, kerosene is added to the mix. Another chemical reaction takes place, separating pure nicotine from the impurities in it. If you want to know more, contact BGP Private Healthcare Ltd., via http://www.bgpgroup.biz/.
