Least contaminated source of tobacco for nicotine extraction?

[dave8944]

Does anyone have a suggestion for the least contaminated source of tobacco one can buy?

My dad is a chemist with 45+ years experience and has started a lab to extract nicotine from tobacco. I suppose he is bored in his semi-retired state and seems to be interested in producing some e-liquid. He doesn't want to grow his own, but needs a source of tobacco with little or no processing. It'd be nice to buy something from a tobacco shop or something to start while he does his testing.

Yes, we know you can buy nicotine from some other lab, but he likes to do things the hard way. Yes, we are aware of how toxic nicotine can be and he has lots of experience with toxic chemicals. Heck, I grew up with agent orange stored in our garage! His comment on the recent nitrosimines found in e-juice "Nitrosamines are in lots of things.
Big deal. Might as well limit the air that you can breathe because it contains CO2 and N2 which can suffocate you."

 

[Kent C]

Does anyone have a suggestion for the least contaminated source of tobacco one can buy?

"100% tobacco leaf - no additives"

Thrust Premium - Additive Free: American RYO

There will be a similar product here:

ORGANICALLY GROWN PIPE BLENDS

Trisha's Cafe-Premium Pipe Cut Tobacco-Pipes-Pipe Cleaners-Tampers-Pouches

If you call that place and ask for Mark, you might be able to get more specific information.

 

[CaSHMeRe]

How about synthetic nicotine ??? if there is such a thing?

 

[Kent C]

How about synthetic nicotine ??? if there is such a thing?

Yes there is such a thing as synthetic nicotine but a brief google search didn't find how exactly it is manufactured. This has probably been discussed here. I found one plant that may be a source:

Lobelia inflata - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[VaporNebula]

Nicotine polacrilex - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If they are regulated it is likely that they will replace regular nicotine with Nicotine Polacrilex (stuff in NRT's)it increases absorption exponentially. closest thing I could find to synthetic.

 

[KreeL]

Your father should do his own research if he intends to attempt this. Asking a group on a forum is assinine.

 

[jexmex]

Your father should do his own research if he intends to attempt this. Asking a group on a forum is assinine.

Thats what the forum is here for isn't it? I would recommend him to research further on his own, but asking a general question here should be no problem, should it?

 

[MidnightRider]

You can't ask questions in Texas.

 

[mrrunon]

yeah, they have guns all over that state.

 

[dave8944]

"100% tobacco leaf - no additives"

Thrust Premium - Additive Free: American RYO

There will be a similar product here:

ORGANICALLY GROWN PIPE BLENDS

Trisha's Cafe-Premium Pipe Cut Tobacco-Pipes-Pipe Cleaners-Tampers-Pouches

If you call that place and ask for Mark, you might be able to get more specific information.

Thanks for the information! I'll see if he thinks this will work. I know it seems silly to ask here, but you have to start some place. After all it's just a source of tobacco that is needed, not research on nicotine extraction. I live in a tobacco state, so I should just go ask a farmer as the stuff grows all over the place. Trouble is I don't think there are that many individual farmers left.

Funny, but I'm originally from TX and that's where my dad lives also. It's a great place if you "fit the suit," not so much if you don't. I've told my dad synthetic nicotine would be better, but he marches to his own drummer. I tried to impress on everyone that he has a LOT of experience doing these sorts of things, so he definately won't be searching the internet to discover what method to use. He laughed at the one serious source I sent him and said they didn't know what they were doing: Sciencemadness Discussion Board - Powered by XMB 1.9.11

 

[titanflyer]

Your father should do his own research if he intends to attempt this. Asking a group on a forum is assinine.

Ahhhhh... what? Maybe I don't understand your full point (since you didn't explain it), but asking questions is what forums are for...

 

[kcr]

but he marches to his own drummer

ROFL! I am married to a research chemist--they are all that way.

Good luck to him!

 

[vapola]

He can buy organic RYO tobacco here http://www.smokes-spirits.com/Produ.../product/7386/store/16/category/20/campaign/0. In fact, I bought a pouch and will be extracting my own nicotine soon, it does not require a science lab There are tons of recipes for that on DIY e-liquid forum. As for nitrosamines, I do think they are a big deal and if there is a way to avoid them, I will be happy to do so!

 

[Jim Davis]

yeah, they have guns all over that state.

Yup - So how many do ya need?

 

[Jim Davis]

He can buy organic RYO tobacco here http://www.smokes-spirits.com/Produ.../product/7386/store/16/category/20/campaign/0. In fact, I bought a pouch and will be extracting my own nicotine soon, it does not require a science lab There are tons of recipes for that on DIY e-liquid forum. As for nitrosamines, I do think they are a big deal and if there is a way to avoid them, I will be happy to do so!

Actually, with the price of most juice, I just think it's easier to get it from a supplier.

 

[vapola]

Sure it's easier but is it cleaner?

 

[Tyler2.0]

for the 6/ 1.4 oz packages for 48 bucks. How much nicotine juice would you get out of that? I wouldnt think THAT much... ?

 

[dave8944]

He can buy organic RYO tobacco here http://www.smokes-spirits.com/Produ.../product/7386/store/16/category/20/campaign/0. In fact, I bought a pouch and will be extracting my own nicotine soon, it does not require a science lab There are tons of recipes for that on DIY e-liquid forum. As for nitrosamines, I do think they are a big deal and if there is a way to avoid them, I will be happy to do so!

Wow, that's some expensive tobacco. I did finally find this source:

Raw Tobacco Leaves : Rollyourown.com, One Stop RYO Tobacco Shop

There is cheaper tobacco. Here is a nice price comparison:
RYO Magazine Reviews, Cheap tobacco, under $20 per pound

So, it costs about $15 per pound or so at a minimum. There is about 1 gram of tobacco per cigarrette. There should be at least 10mg of nicotine in each gram (1.1 if smoked). With 454 grams per pound you should get 4,540 mg of nicotine per pund. If you dilute that to 36mg per ml of juice, you'd get 126 ml of 36mg juice per pound (per $15). Of course you will lose some in the process, but it could still be economical.

I've seen the DIY forum, but I didn't find a process there that anyone seemed to think worked real well in the end. You really need something clean to vaporize. I'm sure my dad just wants something to do, and if he makes me some juice it would be way cool. Everyone is so scared of a ban at least I'll have a back-up and you never know, if it works well he might set up to produce it commercially. I'll definately post the process he uses in the DIY forum.

 

[Kent C]

Wow, that's some expensive tobacco. I did finally find this source:

Raw Tobacco Leaves : Rollyourown.com, One Stop RYO Tobacco Shop

There is cheaper tobacco. Here is a nice price comparison:
RYO Magazine Reviews, Cheap tobacco, under $20 per pound

.

The mag article was from Oct. 2000. There was a $25+ tax added last year for the SCHIPS (gov't healthcare for kids) program on RYO/MYO tobacco.

 

[vapola]

well, the whole idea of wanting to have "something clean to vaporize" implies that you want to get the cleanest tobacco. To me this means pure organic tobacco and I searched the whole internet and could not find anything other than American Spirit and it is just expensive.
As for the process that works well, you basically soak tobacco in either VG or grain alcohol to extract the nicotine. Some people boil this down to create more concentrated juice. And that is it! then flavors and PG/VG added at the end. It is seriously not rocket science, UNLESS you need to know exactly how much nicotine is in the liquid. I personally don't care because I will be diluting this stuff until it feels good to vapor it (yeah, really scientific, I know).