This is a question about the shelf life of nicotine

[sofarsogood]

I keep my liquefied nicotine in sealed glass bottles at cold temperature so that it will last. In the past I have smoked tobacco that was years old. In one case cigars that were 10 years old. I've also smoke pipe tobacco that was years old. I didn't notice any decline or loss of potency of the nicotine. Shouldn't the nicotine in tobacco leaf decline quickly because it's exposed to the air and light? Or is there a reason why nicotine in liquid form would be more fragile and perishable than nicotine in tobacco leaf? My apologies if this question has been asked and answered already.

 

[The_Vapin_Chemist]

I keep my liquefied nicotine in sealed glass bottles at cold temperature so that it will last. In the past I have smoked tobacco that was years old. In one case cigars that were 10 years old. I've also smoke pipe tobacco that was years old. I didn't notice any decline or loss of potency of the nicotine. Shouldn't the nicotine in tobacco leaf decline quickly because it's exposed to the air and light? Or is there a reason why nicotine in liquid form would be more fragile and perishable than nicotine in tobacco leaf? My apologies if this question has been asked and answered already.

I am so sorry for the late reply, I do not know how I missed your post!!

Leaf tobacco is different because the nicotine is protected by the cell walls of the leaf.

 

[sofarsogood]

I am so sorry for the late reply, I do not know how I missed your post!!

Leaf tobacco is different because the nicotine is protected by the cell walls of the leaf.

So are the cell walls of dried tobacco leaf impermeable to oxygen and light? Do you know the mechanism that protects inc so well in the plant and not so well after it's extracted?

 

[SteveS45]

I have a bottle of Nicotine in the original plastic bottle it came in for over 1 year and it is the same as the day I got it. Not refrigerated or in the freezer but in a cardboard box in the basement where it is cooler.

 

[The_Vapin_Chemist]

So are the cell walls of dried tobacco leaf impermeable to oxygen and light? Do you know the mechanism that protects inc so well in the plant and not so well after it's extracted?

I cannot speak to the in depth life cycle of nicotine in a tobacco plant. However, something to think about in this case, is that plants in general need light for and produce oxygen through photosynthesis.

 

[SteveS45]

As an X Smoker I can safely say there was nothing worse than stale tobacco because I had found some of those lost packs under the seat or left in one of my smoking spots. I may not be able to say how long it took but you do not want to smoke stale cigarettes because it is like a dry hit in vaping.

 

[NCC]

I am using a base I mixed from a 100mg/ml source base, cut it down to 48mg/ml with the result having a PG/VG ratio of 43/57. It was stored in subdued lighting at room temperature in brown Boston Bottles. I labeled the bottles, including a mix date of 4/16/2011. It's still clear and I'm not having any issues with it, nearly six years later.

 

[sofarsogood]

As an X Smoker I can safely say there was nothing worse than stale tobacco because I had found some of those lost packs under the seat or left in one of my smoking spots. I may not be able to say how long it took but you do not want to smoke stale cigarettes because it is like a dry hit in vaping.

tobacco can get stale as far as taste but as mentioned above I had a good experience with years old cigars once they were at the proper humidity. My nic will stay in amber glass bottles in the freezer regardless of what I learn about the vulnerability of nic but other posters here who have not frozen their nic seem to be getting away with it so far. May be there is more to learn about nic than the conventional wisdom on the forum so far.

 

[SteveS45]

Any cigar smokers I knew had humidors to keep cigars fresh and I was only talking about taste not nicotine content. But if you smoke stale tobacco enjoy yourself because I do not intend on ever smoking again as was just relating to how disgusting it was in my opinion. Now even fresh tobacco smells disgusting to me.

 

[The_Vapin_Chemist]

tobacco can get stale as far as taste but as mentioned above I had a good experience with years old cigars once they were at the proper humidity. My nic will stay in amber glass bottles in the freezer regardless of what I learn about the vulnerability of nic but other posters here who have not frozen their nic seem to be getting away with it so far. May be there is more to learn about nic than the conventional wisdom on the forum so far.

There is always more to learn...

There are those that like to store their nicotine in the basement at a cool 60-65 degrees, but the freezer will always be the BEST storage method.

 

[sofarsogood]

If it wasn't for our dear, dear government (who always has our best interest at heart), I would have one bottle of nic in the freezer that would be about half gone now (well I do have that) but I also have a few more (including from RTS by the way) and if the worst happens that little stash of nic might become rather important so it's worth learning some of the finer points. It's encouraging to hear that some room temperature nic is holding up since 2011. Mine stays in the freezer but I'd still like to know more about how nic stays preserved for years in tobacco leaf without benefit of glass or freezing temperatures.