Simple photometric assay of nicotine in tobacco

ABSTRACT

Simple photometric assay procedure of the volatile tobacco alkaloids as nicotine is presented depending on the preparation of copper dithiocarbamate complex of nicotine after being reduced to a secondary amine derivative using Zn/HCl. The complex is extracted with benzene and measured photometrically at 445 nm. The measured color is stable for more than 48 hours, obeying Beer's law [20-600 ug] and the method is suitable for estimating nicotine in different tobacco preparations