Preparation and characterization of nicotine tartrate and its application in gum-based chewing tobacco

Abstract

To develop suitable nicotine derivatives for potential use in next generation tobacco products, mixtures of nicotine with tartaric acid were prepared. The prepared freeze-dried product was a white powder with good water solubility. The structure of nicotine tartrate was evaluated with X-ray powder diffraction, near infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (ss-NMR). The crystal structure of nicotine tartrate was analyzed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. According to the obtained atomic coordinates, equivalent temperature factor, bond length and torsion angles, the chemical formula of nicotine tartrate was proposed as 2(C4H5O6)·C10H16N2·H2O. The relative molecular mass was 480.42, and the crystal density was 1.501 mg/m3. The crystal structure of nicotine tartrate belongs to the orthorhombic system and the monoclinic space group is P212121. Nicotine tartrate was used in gum-based chewing tobacco to substitute pure nicotine, which showed a sustained nicotine release when compared to traditional ultrafine tobacco powder as assessed by an in situ dissolution method.