Studies on cellulose cigarette smoke. Volatile products of cellulose pyrolysis.

Abstract

Cellulose was pyrolyzed under various conditions, and 82 compounds were identified as volatile products. The temperature for maximum formation of most of these compounds in nitrogen was in the range of 600°C~650°C, while it was 50°C~200°C lower in air. The maximum yield of most of the products was also lower in air than in nitrogen. The temperature for maximum formation of most volatile products of filter paper treated with potassium nitrate was 50°C~100°C lower than the temperature required for untreated paper, although the maximum yields of volatile products from treated filter paper did not bear any relationship to the maximum yields from untreated paper.Comparisons between volatile pyrolysis products and components of cellulose cigarette smoke proved that they were qualitatively similar, but that most pyrolysis products were obtained in much larger quantities than smoke components per weight of cellulose.