What is the visible product composed of?

[Kurt]

Sorry to disagree with some of the info here, but as a long time chemist, I might be able to shed some light on this. What you exhale is primarily PG, or in the case of my juices, VG condensates. Yes, there will be some water present with it too, but the condensate is mostly PG or VG. When vendors at malls claim that the "vapor" is just water vapor, they simply do not know that facts. Ambient water vapor in the mouth and lungs will condense onto aggregates of VG or PG molecules, but PG and VG will produce visible vapor without water vapor being present. The hydrogen bonds between PG or VG molecules simply make them form aggregate droplets.

Water does not react with PG or VG upon contact. PG changes in the body due to metabolism steps, and eventually turns into lactic acid. VG metabolizes to glucose. PG would be absorbed as PG in the lungs, mouth and throat (and some gut), and then goes through metabolism.

PG has been long known to be a fairly effective anti-microbial, similar to how sugar and honey are also anti-microbials. VG too, but just a bit less so than PG. PG is used in many liquid and vaporous formulations for this reason, including hospitals and drug formulations.

Using dipropylene glycol as a vaping vehicle is an interesting thought. Seems it is also low toxicity. I think trace amounts are sometimes formed on the hot coil in vaping, as it has come up in some vapor analyses. But since it is a less-known quantity that PG or VG, I would suggest trying VG too. Probably cheaper too.

 

[doctorjae75]

right on, tarheeldan, thanks for those...i'll print 'em off or save 'em to flash drive so i can get right to the experiments. i'll try and give updates as i go. although i may not be able to get to this tomorrow, i hope to begin later this week. post any ideas or suggestions...til then.

 

[I Stelfer I]

Water vapor is a colorless, odorless gas, it is not visible. You can see steam, clouds, fog, your breath on a cold day ... but, you're seeing liquid water condensed on dust particles. Very small droplets, granted, but liquid nonetheless. That's not water vapor.

I'll give you that, pure water evaporated into the air is colorless and tasteless however for the sake of vaporizing water through an atomizer with flavoring and other things added in the vapor you see could be largely in part due to the water in e-liquid.

 

[Rainbowz]

Any update on your tests/experiments, doctor?

 

[xRIPCITYx]

good info. Always wondered what to tell people.

 

[spaghetti straps]

This may be a dumb question, but is there any nicotine left in the vapor, or is it all absorbed when you inhale? I'm new to vaping, and I'm still not 100% on how comfortable I feel vaping around non-smokers, and especially children.

 

[john doe]

I'm not sure myself but my take is avoid vaping around children just because why take chances. As for non-smokers I see no real problem since an adult isn't going to be affected by the small amounts in the exhaled vapor.

 

[NCC]

Wow, what a flash from the past ... a little over a year ago, when I was a newborn vaper.

Good question spaghetti straps. I can't answer your question with any conviction. But, I can say the primary concerns regarding second hand smoke do not have to do with nicotine. The concerns are with some of the other 4,000 odd chemicals which the second hand smoke contains ... and which are absent in second hand vape.


It ain't the nicotine, it's the smoke!