High-grade Nicotine from Medicine

[Trinity]

Most people will know the process of extracting nicotine from tobacco.

But as you can see from some of the other postings, the end-product is not always as toxic as expected.

My own experiments with testing nicotine, from tobacco, on animals did also show that it did not have the toxicity of pure nicotine.

80 mg. of pure nicotine should kill any human 1) But this dosis did not even kill a cat. Also, the nicotine from tobacco has a distingtive tobacco-like smell.

I then became aware of a nicotine nasal spray ( Trade name: "Nicorette" ) in a pharmacy. It contained 500 mg. of nicotine dissolved in water. A little aroma was added to give a pleasant smell. The spray is meant to help people stop smoking. Instead of smoking a cigarete they take a small inhalation from the spray.

I bought the spray, crushed it, and boiled down the water until pure nicotine was left. This nicotine had no smell at all, and was highly toxic.

A 40 mg. dosis was placed on the back of a cat. It died in about 25 - 30 minutes.

Oral ingestion had probably caused death in a few minutes.

1) Handbook of Poisoning, by Robert H. Dreisbach, Los Altos, California, 1983.

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I added some paragraph breaks for you. You might wish to learn to do this for yourself is you wish to continue posting here.

NBK

[simply RED]

How soluble is nicotine in acetone?

[Cyclo_Knight]

I have never seen Nicorette "Nasal Spray" before, only the patches. Undoubtedly a spray (if it exists) would have a greater yield for less cost than the patches. My current method for obtaining pure solid nicotine consists of purchasing an EXTREMELY expensive box of Nicorette Patches, and performing a simple solvent extraction. This method is quite costly, as a lot of manufacturing is required to make a time-release patch.

What country do you live Trinity, and is that nasal-spray widely available there? What is the brand name of the particuar item you bought, and how much did it cost?

I may try to purchase some off the company website. Even shipping from the Moon would be cheaper than those damn patches. :)

**EDIT**
The problem with cigs is the boatload of other shit in them. Nicotine extracted from cigs usually contains Arsenic, trace sulfates, and other organic impurities which are nearly impossible to remove.

The only way I can think of would be an extraction with many different types of solvents, in which nicotine is more or less soluble than the impurities. I would estimate that ths would be at LEAST a 10 step extraction!

BTW RED: I think Nicotine is soluble in acetone, however so are the patches :(

**END EDIT**

[mongo blongo]

Alkaloid Extraction?

[Mr Cool]

Yeah, A/B alkaloid extraction. Or precipitation with picric acid maybe, or sodium silicotungstate? This can be bought quite easily from chem suppliers, can even be made without too much difficulty. More difficult than buying a nasal spray though!

[simply RED]

I just don't have time and space to wait the water to evaporate...
:p

[Pilathos]

found at psiconautica site web ( http://psiconautica.org/) a industrial extraction procedure for nicotine pure. This is the translation:
The tobacco leaves are boiled in water, several times, filtering and gathering the liquids of treatments; then filtering and concentrating the final liquid until the extract is solidified, then this is treated with warm absolute alcohol. After the liquids are settled and two layers are formed, they are separated for decantation, the upper layer contain the nicotine, this one is concentrated in double boiler, and then is treated with a excess of KOH concentrated solution, wait until the solution is cool and then is agitated with eter, this one dissolves the nicotine and is separated of the ether by evaporating. BP. 245ºC.

[openfacesurgery]

While I was looking around the 'net for products to assist me with quitting smoking I never came across the nasal spray this person was talking about. I found nasal spray but it's only 10 mg on nicotine per bottle.

I found these <a href="http://www.expresschemist.co.uk/index.jsp?subframe=product&productid=3515">nicotine inhalers</a> that contain 10 mg of nicotine per cartridge (unless I read it wrong). I suppose if you break the cartridge and empty the liquid and follow the same procedure described above you'll be able to get pure nicotine that way.

[FUTI]

Well I done this as student exercise and you can trust me picric acid precipitation work just fine, it is costly but where did you seen a E&W guy without picric acid;)
Procedure is more or less as Philathos posted with precipitation at the end.

[WMD]

Since we're (probably) dealing with gram quantities and not industrial scale, chromatography might be worth trying. For those who don't know this wonderful technique yet, www.rhodium.ws has some good articles.

[croc]

I remember looking up what the binders in pills were and they seem to be some celouse fiber to increase solubility of the substance so maybe the little pills to decrease nicotine cravings are not such a good idea. If the tobacco plant was grown a solvent could be used to extract nicotine but a non polar solvent should be used for the extract so a lot of plant chemicals are left behind.
Hexane or butane could be used. More information found on this site
http://www.hempcultivation.com/420/forumdisplay.php?f=60
If you want any MSDS's here are some
http://physchem.ox.ac.uk/MSDS/NI/nicotine_sulphate.html
http://physchem.ox.ac.uk/MSDS/NI/nicotine.html
http://www.erowid.org/plants/tobacco/nicotine_data_sheet.shtml
http://www.google.com.au/search?q=cache:ATMMchK9oPkJ:wardsci.com/pdf/MSDS/94625_Nicotine.pdf+nicotine+MSDS&hl=en

[exo]

Trinity: I hope you didn't test on cats/animals for purity, and you are quoting from that book. That is a fucked up experiment wasting a cats life, and a Kewl way of testing purity. run a IR spectrum or somthing. 20-40min on a cat of not known weight, applying it on skin? furr?. If this is your idea of a test you deserve to be in jail.

Isn't Nicotine used as a insectacide?

[WMD]

Most people on this board won't have access to IR spectrometers now and in the near future. Apart from that IR isn't that useful to test for purity imho. But everybody on the board would be well advised to learn some bloody chromatography, as even simple thin layer chromatography is an effective way to test purity (and monitor reactions and compare different rx runs and....).

[FUTI]

I agree with WMD about chromatography...even a simple paper chromatography can give you a clue about purity if you know where to look for standards or Rf values for certain solvent system. Monitoring reactions chromatographicaly is not best solution there is but compared to just observing reaction mixture and temperature it is very precise tool. IR is good to confirm that you have pure compound...but when it comes to monitoring I would rather flip a coin.

[nswsps]

Take into account the average cigarette contains 1.2 mg of nicotine (for 12 mg smokers (note: the mg rating of the cigarette is tar content)) then take into account the amount of 'puffs' in the inhalers / nasal sprays.

Nasal sprays are available in the southern hemisphere, won't stipulate my country for privacy reasons, but then again there's only two first world country in the southern hemisphere and they're both next to each other. :p

[nbk2000]

Australia and New Zealand? :D

[Anthony]

Just a guess, but I think our International Man of Mystery here may be from New South Wales, Australia...

[thedestroyer5150]

If you're going to play with 1 of the top 10 most deadly toxins you might as well have high quality, and seeing as all of the ways discussed here are also pricey, overly complicated, or both, here's where you get PURE nicotine.

And 25 mls is more than you'll ever use: http://www.sciencelab.com/page/S/PVAR/SLN1864

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And, while you're at it, actually TRY buying the nicotine from them, and tell us how successful you are. :p

NBK

[thedestroyer5150]

Shipped it without even a waiver to fill out.

[xyz]

Hmm, I've been having a look around for nasal spray, didn't find any but I noticed these:

http://www.pharmacyonline.com.au/nicorette-inhaler-10mg-refill-pack-cartridges-p-9312.html

420mg in total for about $35AUD, not great, but better than the patches.

[megalomania]

I don’t suppose anyone has looked into synthesizing nicotine have they? Starting from nicotinic acid, a commercially available vitamin (niacin or vitamin B3) it looks like a short hop to nicotine.

I have also heard about nicotine extraction from tobacco using supercritical CO2. This can be difficult on the home scale, but not impossible.

[FUTI]

Nice idea Mega. I tried something similar to supercritical extraction before but I used chilled propane-butane mixture that is used for lighters (I was startled when I find one that isn't "spiced" with mercaptans!) as extracting fluid. Yield is small for those type of extracting fluid (per cycle), but the whole point is if I get the things right is in ability to cycle the whole process with same fluid in closed cycle system (which I haven't tried so far due to flamability/explosion issues) and extract the sample much better. I never tried to extract nicotine it was some other plant that I was tried to play with.

[MrSamosa]

Maybe you know about this source already; but Nicotine dust is sold in agriculture supply stores as some sort of pesticide or repellant, I forget which. And off memory, I think it was either 1 % or 10% Nicotine in a kg bag.

[FUTI]

I think it is used as insecticide of some kind. Good info anyway MrSamosa.

[LeshracVNN]

http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/insect-mite/mevinphos-propargite/nicotine/insect-prof-nicotine.html

CHEMICAL NAME: 3-(1-Methyl-2-pyrrolidyl)pyridine (56)

TRADE NAME(S): Black Leaf 40 (56)

FORMULATION(S): Nicotine alkaloid, 95%; nicotine sulfate, 40% (56)

TYPE: Alkaloid insecticide

BASIC PRODUCERS: Chemical Formulators, Inc.
2045 Peachtree Rd., NE, Suite 200
Atlanta, GA 30309

STATUS: General use

[megalomania]

If I recall correctly, Black Leaf insecticides have been banned, at least in the US. I don't know if that applies to certain industrial users.

[Vitalis]

Yea, I haven't been able to locate any insecticides with Nicotine Sulphate in the U.S. Commercial tobacco does have quite a few impurities, but you can purchase nicotina rustica instead of the nicotina tobaccum you will find wherever tobacco products are sold. Nicotina rustica has a higher alkaloid content. I haven't compared the cost of extracting nicotine from nicotina rustica vs. evaporating the nasal spray, just thought I'd throw this info out there...

[LeshracVNN]

You can buy it from european suppliers :

Dbquery : EChemEuropa
Company: Acros Organics
Name: Nicotine Sulfate, 40% aqueous solution
Formula: C10H14N2.0.5H2SO4
CAS: 65-30-5
Type: Perchloric acid titration

Quantity: 500G
Price: 35.26e

Dbquery : EChemEuropa
Company: Acros Organics
Name: L-Nicotine
Formula: C10H14N2
CAS: 54-11-5
Type: Authentic

Quantity A (L-Nicotine 99+%) : 5gr / 25gr / 100gr
Price A : 12.24e / 24.99e / 68.44

Quantity B (L-Nicotine 95%) : 100gr
Price B : 71.45e

It's a horrible link so go there and search for 'Nicotine'

http://www.acros.com/

;)

[nbk2000]

You found a source. :)

Now actually try buying it from Acros and see why it's futile. :rolleyes:

[LeshracVNN]

You found a source. :)

Now actually try buying it from Acros and see why it's futile. :rolleyes:

Well, their terms and conditions basically state :

"You agree that what you order MAY (lol) be subject to control in your country but we don't give a fuck as long as you send us justifications".

Translated : "Give me a fake and i'll pretend i didn't notice as long as i'm covered"

Well, either that or i'm an idealist; or both ! ;)

[megalomania]

Acros will require a valid company account be established, they will check your credit and company credentials, and likely will want a fax of a valid drivers license the first time. Before you even order from them, or any major chemical supplier, you will have to establish your bone fides and be properly vetted. You will also have to send payment using a corporate credit or checking account.

In no way shape or form will they sell to an individual. This goes beyond just Cover-Your-Ass mode. Just try ordering something as innocuous as a box of aluminum foil and see what they tell you...

[NoltaiR]

Obviously you are looking for a source with large amounts. On the contrary, I think the best idea came in the very first post about using the spray. While I have never personally seen or even heard of a product such as this, think of the possibilities. I have never advocated anything requiring the killing or people or animals, but think of the interrogation possibilities. If for some reason you have a prisoner and you wanted them to really do what you want... just make them addicted to something.

Start with a spray of a moderate to light dosage, and force them to consume it in anyway necessary. Slowly increase the dosage in a single spray until they are hardened nicotene addicts. Make them beg for more.

This way if they ever escaped, there is a good chance they may come running back for more :)

[Enkidu]

[...] make them addicted to something.

Interesting idea. While nicotine addiction is difficult to break, I think you could addict your prisoner quicker (and therefore make his cravings harsher quicker) if you opted for an amphetamine or an opiate of some kind. The only trouble with that route is scoring, but I'm sure many of us here could score (especially you, what with your planned cultivation of salvia divinorum).

Your idea is much classier than withholding the basic needs likes food, water, and shelter. I like it. :)

[nbk2000]

Drug addiction is a classic tool of control, used by pimps to control their whores.

[Herro]

I recently saw a bottle of 60 pills of Niacin at a 500mg concentration for under US$5 in good ol' K-mart. With ~30g of potential Nicotine, heavy yield losses could be quite negligible with an purposed LD of 40-60mg (ref: Wikipedia), assuming only one mark.

I'll be honest in saying I am in the dark when it comes to more complex organic chem than naming, but I found that Niacin is synthesized through the oxidation of Nicotine; exchanging the methyl cyclobutylamine (?) side group of the ring for a simple carboxylic acid of COOH.

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Why do people who admit to knowing absolutely ZERO organic chemistry, post theories on how to perform an organic reaction? NBK

[nbk2000]

I've upped a 70 page overview of Nicotine chemistry to my folder on the FTP. :)

Nicotine.pdf, 4MB.