I doubt this is WTA. I'll try to explain some of the chemistry here, but the philosophy behind using "salts" is not new. There was another inhalation device proposed by Altria some years ago that used the pyruvate salt of nicotine. Nicotine is a base (amine, to be precise). The form we are used to is the "free-base" form, meaning it is just nicotine. But in plants, since it is a base, it can react with any acids present (including water to a small extent), and turn into the "salt" or "acid" form. The chemistry is not hard, but it does require a knowledge of acids and bases.
Suppose there is citric acid (HCA) present with nicotine (Nic). A small amount of these will react:
Nic + HCA ---> Nic-H+ + CA-
CA- is citrate (conjugate base of citric acid). Nic-H+ is the nicotinium ion, which is just Nic with an H+ attached to the amine N. So the product is nicotinium citrate, also known as the citrate salt of nicotine. It is still nicotine, and if absorbed will behave as nicotine in the brain, but the salt has different absorption properties than the free-base Nic.
Oral absorption (mouth, throat, much of what we get when we vape): Generally slower than lung absorption. Free-base absorbs faster than the salt form. This is why some snus has sodium bicarbonate added, to act as a base and turn naturally occurring nicotine salts in tobacco to the free-base form. The HCO3- ion just pulls the H+ off the nicotinium ion.
Lung absorption: faster than oral in general, but hard to do in vapor form (droplets are generally too big to penetrate the lungs as much as orally). Salt form tends to penetrate deeper into the lungs than freebase wrapped in VG/PG droplets. This is because the salt form tends to be a fine solid. So if you could make the nicotine salt with a safe acid, like citric or pyruvic, and somehow atomize the powdery salt, it should get to the lungs more effectively than the free-base form.
But its not just free-base vs salt form. Gaseous free-base nic will get to the lungs just fine. The problem is that is not what we vape. We inhale relatively large droplets of VG/PG that has nicotine free-base contained in them. Make the droplets smaller, or no droplets at all, just gas-phase, and lung absorption increases. Higher heat and/or lower e-liquid viscosity will help this.
It looks like the idea with the Juul is to include nicotine salts (my guess is primarily pyruvate salt, but this is just a guess), and increase lung absorption. This is the only way to get the rapid spike in serum nicotine to mimic smoking, which is primarily lung absorption of naturally occurring nic salts in cured tobacco. This and a very high nic concentration, which also increases the amount absorbed in the lungs. These in combination should provide lung absorption better than just a 50 mg/mL vape.
As far as I can see, there are no other tobacco alkaloids or psychoactives present, just nicotine and nicotine salts.
If I see them being sold in a convenience store, I will probably try it, just to see. But I have been smoke-free for almost 2 years now, and don't think about smoking anymore. What would be of interest is a study that shows the Juul does better for quitting than even good ecigs.
Hope this clarifies things!
