Chemical Studies on Tobacco Smoke LXIV. On the Analysis of Aromatic Amines in Cigarette Smoke

Abstract

A method for the analysis of aromatic amines in tobacco smoke has been developed. The amines from the smoke are trapped in dilute hydrochloric acid and are enriched together with the basic portion, derivatized to pentafluoropropionamides and determined by gas chromatography with a ⁶³-Ni-electron capture detector (detection limit 50 pg aniline/cigarette). The mainstream smoke of one U.S. 85-mm cigarette without filter tip contained 102 ng of aniline, 61 ng of 2-,3-, and 4-toluidine, 55.8 ng of ethyl- and dimethylaniline, 4.3 ng of 1-naphthylamine, 6.9 ng of 2-,3-, and 4-aminobiphenyl, and 5.8 ng of 2-methyl-1-naphthylamine. Sidestream smoke contained levels of aromatic amines 20 to 68 times higher than those in the mainstream smoke. The results from smoke analyses of experimental cigarettes support the concept that the nitrate content and the protein content of tobacco are determining factors for the smoke yields of aromatic amines. The possible biologic implications of this study are discussed.