Chemistry of the Conversion of Nitrate Nitrogen to Smoke Products

Abstract

NITRATE nitrogen has been of interest to us because of its natural occurrence in burley tobaccos and of its use as a tobacco additive. Sodium nitrate added to tobacco is known to reduce particulate matter, nicotine, phenol, and benzo(a)-pyrene in cigarette smoke¹. It is thought that nitrates form oxygen and nitric oxide during smoking and thereby intercept radicals that would otherwise form polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. Nitroalkanes are known to increase in smoke as a result of the addition of alkali nitrate to tobacco and tobacco sheet², and catechol concentrations in smoke are known to be lowered if nitrate is added to tobacco³. A study which involved the fifth puff of a cigarette only, reports sodium nitrate to raise the levels of nitrogen oxides, acetaldehyde, nitriles and acrolein in the smoke⁴ (Table 1).