Test your tobacco extracts for nicotine content--nicotine readily dissolves in water

[Proverb31]

Nicotine is highly soluble in water. If you ever gardened you may be familiar with the simple chewing tobacco soaked in water for 45 minutes to make pesticide. It takes very little time to extract nicotine with water. You are always cautioned to wear gloves and a mask when soaking a few cigarettes (three Marlboro reds) or a good sized pinch of chewing tobacco to make a good pesticide.

I wanted to add a cautionary note. I've read through many threads and most people here seem to think that there extracts are only getting minute amounts of nicotine and that may be true. It really depends on the solvent. Perhaps the use of VG or PG are the reason.

I also read an old closed post by a member who used a mix of grain alcohol and water and was shocked the results seemed to be flavorless but potent.

Please be careful when making your own extracts for flavor and get a nicotine testing kit. Nicotine will quickly dissolve into plain tap water and many gardeners use this to create a potent insecticide. Nicotine is a potent insecticide and that is why gardeners use this method.

 

[Proverb31]

How to Use Tobacco Juice to Control Pest in the Garden | eHow

Here is a link for one such recipe. Note the soap is used to help disperse it evenly over plant leaves... this recipe doesn't tell you that, but the ingredient used to kill bugs is nicotine. Please stay safe everyone.. and always research what you are using.

 

[Fawzy]

Well, this is the first time I have ever heard this. Strange though. But do u think a simple extraction process without the right and lab equipment would extract nicotine? I doubt it. I have tried extractions with vodka, and haven't used the PG/VG method yet. I used it with pipe tobacco and cigar. Let them soak in vodka for a week then evaporated the alcohol. added a mill of PG.VG as a preservative. I have been using them as flavors and I haven't had any problems till now. I am not promoting to do this as I don't know the long term effects of this. But I don't think I am getting any nic in this process

 

[Proverb31]

Try a simple google search for insecticide homemade with tobacco. It is readily extracted with a simple 45 minute steep and it will kill bugs. Most gardeners use a couple of cigarettes or some chew. Alcohol I don't believe is bi-polar like water. Nicotine is readily dissolved in bi-polar solvents like water or ammonia. I would be careful.. that was my point. There is a need to be cautious.

 

[nnote]

Every year I fight these horrible worms on my grape plants that eat the leaves to nothingness. This year.... 2 cups water 4ml 10%nic from my DIY and a couple drops of soap. Those suckers dropped off within a half hour and I got the best grapes this year than ever before!

 

[Proverb31]

Every year I fight these horrible worms on my grape plants that eat the leaves to nothingness. This year.... 2 cups water 4ml 10%nic from my DIY and a couple drops of soap. Those suckers dropped off within a half hour and I got the best grapes this year than ever before!

Yes it really works

 

[CarbonThief]

Interestingly enough, I received my WizardLabs nicotine test kits today and tested two of my extractions (done in pure PG and the other in pure VG, with no water introduced into the system though) and came up with zero measurable nicotine. As a control, I tested a purchased juice labeled as 24 mg nicotine, and came up with 21.3 mg. So two things I would conclude from this, 1) WITHOUT water introduced, PG and VG do not extract any appreciable amounts of nicotine from tobacco leaves, and 2) that vendor ripped me off by a good three mg of nicotine!

 

[FinallyQuit]

As a control, I tested a purchased juice labeled as 24 mg nicotine, and came up with 21.3 mg. So two things I would conclude from this, 1) WITHOUT water introduced, PG and VG do not extract any appreciable amounts of nicotine from tobacco leaves, and 2) that vendor ripped me off by a good three mg of nicotine!

I find this telling. There's been speculation that our handmade mixes are somewhat stronger than vendor mixes, due to the flavors or throat hit. Maybe they aren't measuring as carefully as we are?

 

[CarbonThief]

I find this telling. There's been speculation that our handmade mixes are somewhat stronger than vendor mixes, due to the flavors or throat hit. Maybe they aren't measuring as carefully as we are?

Would be my guess.

the math for mixing is so easy, but if you are trying to measure less than 1 mL using a dispo pipette...and especially if you're trying to add less than half a mL for making up a small sampler size with low nic, you can be WAY off quite easily.

 

[Kurt]

Interestingly enough, I received my WizardLabs nicotine test kits today and tested two of my extractions (done in pure PG and the other in pure VG, with no water introduced into the system though) and came up with zero measurable nicotine. As a control, I tested a purchased juice labeled as 24 mg nicotine, and came up with 21.3 mg. So two things I would conclude from this, 1) WITHOUT water introduced, PG and VG do not extract any appreciable amounts of nicotine from tobacco leaves, and 2) that vendor ripped me off by a good three mg of nicotine!

Glad you did this test on PG and VG essences. It validates what I have strongly suspected from a chemistry standpoint.

The experimental error of those test kits is about +/- 10% or so, and you cannot say from your results that you have 21.3, which is 3 significant figures. At best you can say it is about 19 - 25 mg/mL, but not more precise than that. The kits just can give you a rough idea of nic content, but are not very precise.