Cartridges turn dark?

[TropicalBob]

I posted a question/observation on the official e-Cig forum, asking why the cartridge filters turn dark. We all know cigarette filters absorb tar and darken, as do pipe filters and aftermarket filters. But what is in the e-liquid that makes the cartridge filters darken as they do? One user noted one cartridge filter turned black after a single use. I'll post the answer here if e-Cig gives us their idea or reason.

Since I have both the cigar and pipe, I can attest to darkening filters. I refill 'em and they're getting plain dirty and ugly. And, no, it's not the air I breathe. If it's particulate matter of any kind, and I'm inhaling it, I want to know what it is, whether its safety has been studied, and what it could do to me.

 

[trigger]

Hi tb, don't know if you've had an answer on the other forum yet, but heres something that might help:

nicotine (Black Leaf 40) Chemical Profile 4/85

nicotine

CHEMICAL NAME: 3-(1-Methyl-2-pyrrolidyl)pyridine (56)

DEC INGRED. CODE:

TRADE NAME(S): Black Leaf 40 (56)

FORMULATION(S): Nicotine alkaloid, 95%; nicotine sulfate, 40% (56)

TYPE: Alkaloid insecticide

BASIC PRODUCERS: Chemical Formulators, Inc.
2045 Peachtree Rd., NE, Suite 200
Atlanta, GA 30309

STATUS: General use

PRINCIPAL USES: Sucking insects on plants but now largely replaced
by organophosphate insecticides. Formerly used in greenhouses as a
fumigant and as a paint roost for chicken lice and mites (1).
Little or no nicotine is now produced in the U.S. Limited
supplies are imported from India. Two basic types of nicotine products
have been marketed: the alkaloid and the sulfate. Nicotine alkaloid
is relatively volatile and acts both by contact and by fumigant action.
The sulfate is usually marketed as an aqueous solution containing 40%
nicotine equivalent. When added to alkaline water or to soap solution
the alkaloid is liberated, being then more active than the sulfate alone
(56).


I. EFFICACY

To be developed.


II. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

MOLECULAR FORMULA: C10 H14 N2 (62)

MOLECULAR WEIGHT: 162.2 (62)

PHYSICAL STATE: Colorless liquid which darkens slowly and becomes
viscous on exposure to air (pure compound) (62).

ODOR: Slight fishy odor when warm (14)

MELTING POINT: -80 C (pure compound) (62)

BOILING POINT: 247 C (pure compound) (62)

VAPOR PRESSURE: 5.65 Pa at 25 C (pure compound) (62)

SOLUBILITY: Miscible with water below 60 C, forming a hydrate,
and above 210 C (pure compound) (62).

Dont know if this is true for e liquid too though, but it is one possibility!

 

[TropicalBob]

Thanks for the info, Trigger. E-Cig finally said the darkening comes from tobacco extracts used in the liquid. My DIY liquid (made from real tobacco) sure turns a filter dark almost immediately. Interesting you post about BlackLeaf 40. I used it in another post yesterday, I believe, noting the toxicity of the e-liquid. Basically, a little more than a gulped capful would kill a person. We are indeed addicted to an insecticide.