Nic solubility

[Aviz]

Is nicotine soluble in Glycerin?
I tried to look all over and could not figure it out, and I don't have a chemist handy
For instance if I have nic in VG (no flavoring), do I need to keep shaking it so the nic wont concentrate in one area/location/region?
I think nic is water soluble, and I assume its PG soluble (PG seems quite active), however the VG is quite dense - hence my concern.

 

[rowdyplace]

NIC comes to us DIYers either dissolved in pg or vg - or both in several different ratios. Therefore, I conclude that the answer to your question is yes. It all mixes together. Many recipes for different flavors include adding some distilled water and also PGA (alcohol) - so, yep, NIC mixes with that stuff, too.

 

[dannyv45]

NIC is both water and Glycerin soluble. I've never seen NIC or flavor seperate or sink to the bottom when mixed unless the flavor was oil based. Still it's always a good idea to give a mix a light shake before using it. Also a good idea to shake your NIC solution, base and flavor concentrates before mixing.

 

[zoiDman]

Is nicotine soluble in Glycerin?
I tried to look all over and could not figure it out, and I don't have a chemist handy
For instance if I have nic in VG (no flavoring), do I need to keep shaking it so the nic wont concentrate in one area/location/region?
I think nic is water soluble, and I assume its PG soluble (PG seems quite active), however the VG is quite dense - hence my concern.

I could be Wrong on this Because I'm Not a Chemist and have only played one Once on TV.

But I believe that Pure Nicotine is Not Water Soluble in Glycerin or Water. Nicotine is Hydroscopic. So it will be Attracted to Water. Glycerin is Also Hydroscopic.

I believe that Nicotine forms a Solution in Water and or Glycerin.

 

[~Sue~Feb2012]

Always shake the heck out of e-liquids before vaping. Solutions separate sometimes and that can make for nasty tasting or heck of a throat hit you weren't expecting lol

 

[glasseye]

I'm not a Chemist either, but I bred one. lol Have a read here Miscibility - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and here Solubility - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia I'll throw this in for fun. Viscosity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I mixed up a large jar of base mix one time, VG, nic, PG and .9% saline solution. It was interesting and as one would think, the more viscous VG settled to the bottom, the PG kind of floated on that as did the nic (in PG) and the saline. Mixing it up was what I would describe as mixing a 2-part epoxy, that will become homogeneous and useable. We don't have a catalyst involved, it just looked the same when mixing.
I think the initial mixing is most important, and while they MAY separate to some degree (thus the good shaking advice), I'm not sure at all that they'll separate again to the same degree as they were pre-mixing. But I could be wrong.

 

[~Sue~Feb2012]

Cool glasseye I'm not a chemist either but I do feel like one sometimes

I have some e-liquids over a year old and they haven't separated, at least to the naked eye, to the degree that they were in pre-mixing state. That would be so odd looking wouldn't it? To come back to a bottle of liquid later and see VG on the bottom and the flavor on top

 

[pufZeppelin]

.

my bottles of NIC (50/50% & 100%VG)

in large Print says:

Shake Well Before Each Use

I always shake everything before using...

 

[Aviz]

I ussually mix 20/80, hence the question. I put a big air purifier on top of my steeping box (for the vibrations), and will shake it as well (since we are not sure). Thank you for your answers.

 

[hazarada]

nicotine is not soluble in any of the base liquids but you don't have to keep shaking the bottle either, the suspension is pretty stable.

 

[zoiDman]

I think a Lot of the Confusion in a thread like this, and the Reason you that it seems there are Conflicting answers, is because Some people are Giving Answers based on the Commonly Excepted usages of Words. Where other people are giving Answers based on the Scientifically Accurate definition of words.

In a Technical setting, to Me, Soluble and Suspension of a Liquid have Two Different Meanings. But is a Casual Setting, their Meanings may Basically imply the Same Thing.

 

[Kurt]

Nicotine is soluble in VG, but it is not QUICKLY soluble, meaning it has to be mixed a lot since both liquids are very thick. But it is soluble, otherwise you would not be able to buy clear colorless VG-nic. A suspension would be cloudy from tiny nic droplets in the VG, and this is not the case.

 

[Aviz]

Thank you. are you sure?

Nicotine is soluble in VG, but it is not QUICKLY soluble, meaning it has to be mixed a lot since both liquids are very thick. But it is soluble, otherwise you would not be able to buy clear colorless VG-nic. A suspension would be cloudy from tiny nic droplets in the VG, and this is not the case.

 

[Kurt]

Thank you. are you sure?

Sure about what? At the concentrations we normally use (max 10%) it is soluble. At concentrations much higher than this, separation can occur at elevated temperatures. I do not know what the actual solubility of nic in VG is, or at what concentration it is saturated.

For a 10% solution, incomplete mixing can lead to hot spots and concentration gradients, meaning the more pure nicotine regions can rise to the surface. But this is a mixing issue of thick liquids, not necessarily a solubility issue.

Some vendors will add some water and/or ethanol to their VG-nic to make sure it is mixed easily and fully.

I do not think it is a suspension, but I am using that term with the rigorous chemistry meaning.

 

[Myk]

Once mixed you would have a hard time separating the nicotine from the glycols even if you were a chemist.

 

[Hoosier]

Thank you. are you sure?

Most folks wouldn't as a professor of chemistry if he was sure of his chemistry. I like your moxie!

 

[Kurt]

Most folks wouldn't as a professor of chemistry if he was sure of his chemistry. I like your moxie!

Questioning is how science advances! Nicotine solubility, separation potential, solution vs suspension, are all ongoing discussions. I don't take offense at all in being questioned. If fact, I prefer it to blindly believing everything in ECF.

Trust me, my chemistry is questioned constantly in AEMSA, where businesses can depend on it. And addressing questions of publication reviewers, how ever cranky and snarky, is a given if you want to publish anything of merit.

I only asked if I was sure about what because I was not sure what specifically was being referred to.

 

[Aviz]

Thanks Kurt
1. I did not Kurt was a chemist
2. If you dont question, you die. Several physicians have made attempts on my life and my near and dear thus far, I am my own. and trust NO ONE blindly. You all should do the same.

Side note
If an MD comes and tell you something, first find out if he or she are residents. If so, tell them to go get you coffee and while they are at it get a fellow.
Kurt sounds like the teal deal, as he said questioning is the base for science as everything is true untill proven wrong.