whats the need in all the other chemicals?

[Zach]

I did some reading on extracting pure nicotine crystals from tobacco with an acid/base extraction. I don't plan on doing that (just a drop would be deadly), but what the document says is that the pure nicotine crystals will be yellowish in color. I am assuming the yellow color in that filter is just nicotine that was not absorbed in the lungs/mouth and got exhaled into the filter. I could be wrong, but this seems like the intuitive answer to me.

 

[bribri]

Well I think part of the problem is our insistence that the ecig need to let out vapor. Anything that causes a vapor as I see it will probably taint our sweet lungs. I would love to get my hands on a juice that is just the tobacco bi product nicotine (not straight liquid nicotine) with nothing else added and see what kind of risidual color that would leave on the filter. I doubt the flavor would be that terrible. I will email the guys at JC and see if they can make a small batch of that up for me. I mean I know I vape now because I actually prefer it to regular cigs, but I started because of a health concern. If we are partly making this switch for health reasons, why not vape the cleanest stuff we can.

 

[bribri]

I hope your right Zack. But also I don't know if you can make it out on my photo but the color is more ORANGE then yellow.

 

[Kate]

Didn't the Ruyan New Zealand tests establish that the nicotine in vapour is 98% absorbed? There shouldn't be enough exhaled to make much difference to the colour of the crystals. I guess that it's flavourings or some other additives.

 

[Zach]

Even 2% could make a big color difference when you are dealing with 600 puffs. This could be combusted propylene glycol vapors i guess, but really, the filter is the exact same color as nicotine. It only makes sense it would be nicotine. I cannot be certain of this, obviously.

 

[scrubadub]

According to this nicotine turns brown on exposure to air or light so that would fit

Nicotrol (Nicotine Inhalation System) Drug Information: Uses, Side Effects, Drug Interactions and Warnings at RxList

It's also got me thinking about whether the cartridges from these could be a source of nicotine. Each one contains 10mg so maybe soaking a few in VG would work.

"Nicotine is the active ingredient; inactive components of the product are menthol and a porous plug which are pharmacologically inactive."

 

[Kate]

So what ARE the ingredients in the flavorings?

There is a thread about the ingredients in commercial eliquid here - http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ngredients-cartridges-e-liquid.html#post34085

In food flavourings that some of us use for diy juice there is usually flavour, propylene glycol and/or alcohol. I avoid oils, sugars and colourings. The actual flavour is a bit of a mystery to me, it could be naturally extracted oil or synthetic.

 

[smokindeuce]

I just cut a tiny section off a filter tip I had lying around, and put it in the mouthpiece of my pipe. Anyhow, after about 20 inhalations, the tiny bit of filter was saturated with liquid from the vapour and I had to stop due to getting it in my mouth. No really conclusive results from this - however, the filter itself remained white in colour - no discolouration which is interesting. Given time and exposure to air, it will be interesting to see if it turns yellow.

I seem to remember years ago when I had a nicorette inhalator, the filter inside always started fairly white in colour, but over time and with exposure to air, the nicotine turned the filter to a similar colour to the pictures bribri posted.

I'm inclined to go with scrubadub..

 

[Kimmiegrif]

It i funny, as I vap more and more, I don't need tabacco fav and there are times I wish there wasn't as much vapor. It i getting less important. Yes, some kind of throat kick, and some kind of exhale but it doesn't have to be so much vapor...does that make sense?

 

[rattlerviper]

According to this nicotine turns brown on exposure to air or light so that would fit

Nicotrol (Nicotine Inhalation System) Drug Information: Uses, Side Effects, Drug Interactions and Warnings at RxList

It's also got me thinking about whether the cartridges from these could be a source of nicotine. Each one contains 10mg so maybe soaking a few in VG would work.

"Nicotine is the active ingredient; inactive components of the product are menthol and a porous plug which are pharmacologically inactive."

It would be a very exspensive source of nicotine at best. 10mg per cart x 18 carts per case = 180 mg nicotine (assuming you could extract 100%...not likely) it would take 3 boxes to obtain 540 mg of nicotine. 17 bucks a box (best price I could find them) equals a price of 51 bucks for 540 mg.
36mg e-liquid bought from puresmoker.com is 9.99 for a 15 ml bottle. 36 times 15 coincidently equals 540 mg of nicotine.

So we can pay $51 (habitrol) or $10 (e-liquid) for the same amount of nicotine.

 

[dragonfire]

Bri, what if you tried using the zero nic juice? That way you would know if it was the the flavoring causing the color in the filter. You also wouldn't have to wait for JC's to mix up any juice special.

 

[scrubadub]

It would be a very exspensive source of nicotine at best. 10mg per cart x 18 carts per case = 180 mg nicotine (assuming you could extract 100%...not likely) it would take 3 boxes to obtain 540 mg of nicotine. 17 bucks a box (best price I could find them) equals a price of 51 bucks for 540 mg.
36mg e-liquid bought from puresmoker.com is 9.99 for a 15 ml bottle. 36 times 15 coincidently equals 540 mg of nicotine.

So we can pay $51 (habitrol) or $10 (e-liquid) for the same amount of nicotine.

I take your point but it's not as much if you're not trying to make a 36mg juice. Also in the UK the liquid is more expensive than that and you get 42 carts in a box of nicorette inhalators. So for £16 pounds you could get 420mg which theoretically could yield 15ml of 28mg juice. That's not far off what I pay at Totally Wicked. Cost aside I was mainly speculating on whether this could be a way of making a liquid without mystery ingredients.

 

[bribri]

Yes I happen to own some zero nic juice. so that is the next test on the sanda filter.

 

[No burn baby]

Well I have noted that out of my zero, low and medium vanilla juices in clear plastic bottles, the colour darkens as the concentration of nicotine increases.

However, the toxicity of flavours is at the absolute forefront of my concern when it comes to vaping at the moment and I don't feel comfortable with the current status quo. I looked at the Totally Wicked E liquid analysis results and though it is most certainly passable I think there were several changes that were implemented by the lab that I would feel more comfortable knowing were made. I'm sure you've all seen it:
http://www.theelectroniccigarette.co.uk/shop/TotallyWickedLabReport.pdf

I noted the lab's recommendations:
a) ‘Pillbox 38’ should take a Proactive look at replacing the Propylene
Glycol component completely with an alternative such as Glycerol, in
the event that the solvent becomes added to the list of respiratory
toxicants in the foreseeable future
b) ‘Pillbox 38’ should take a Proactive look at finding out how the low
levels of “3,4-Dihydro Cumarin” find their way into the formulation, in
the event that the chemical becomes added to the list of carcinogens
or toxicants in the foreseeable future, and the chemical then needs to
be eliminated from the formulation

I know that what a lot of us want is performance from our juice but, to be frank, I would prefer for there to be a option to also purchase the very safest of juices with all considerations taken even if it did compromise performance. We just need more options available and for someone savvy to perform a little more research. Since I started E smoking I have been vaping heavily on vanilla flavourings, just to find out now that vanillin is particularly unadvisable to vape! I'm now tentatively using my turkish delight flavouring and wondering if this contains vanillin anyway. We as consumers need to know more and someone out there needs to look into the safest formulas possible in order give buyers the ultimate option in safety. I want to see more VG low/zero nicotine flavours devoid of the other "badies" seen in some liquids. As of now these are close to impossible to obtain in the UK. I am not thrilled with the idea of mixing my own, I would like the easy option of clicking a button and paying through paypal!

 

[No burn baby]

....And, I think we owe it to E smoking to produce and offer the very safest formulas as, when -not if- we do come under fire, our cause will hold a lot more water!

 

[rattlerviper]

I take your point but it's not as much if you're not trying to make a 36mg juice. Also in the UK the liquid is more expensive than that and you get 42 carts in a box of nicorette inhalators. So for £16 pounds you could get 420mg which theoretically could yield 15ml of 28mg juice. That's not far off what I pay at Totally Wicked. Cost aside I was mainly speculating on whether this could be a way of making a liquid without mystery ingredients.

Expensive juice over there! does the UK charge any import tax if you were to order juice from the USA or direct from China? Then again even if they don't I suppose postage could be cost prohibitive.

 

[igetcha]

how about using the filter on a e cig that is smoking pure pg or glycerine for 600 puffs? if it still comes out a browny orange colour then you know that its the pg or glycerine that is causing the discolouration and not just the nicotine or flavourings.

or am i just being dumb!?

 

[freddo]

i mentioned that too but it didnt get a response, maybe we are both being dumb lol

 

[bribri]

No no.. Niether being dumb. I just havent gotten to it. The problem is my atomizer. I only have one working one left in the ecig of choice and it is tainted because it has remnents of the other juices on and in it. Ok. I will eventually clean it for you guys. So which do you guys want me to test, the zero nic juice or straight glycerin on the filter? Make a choice.

 

[bribri]

The results are in.

With zero Nic juice the Filter color turns a much cleaner, but still not cool SLIGHT YELLOW.

Top filter is 600 breaths fresh exhale no ecig.

middle filter is 600 breaths exhale no nic juice

bottom filter is 600 breaths exhale HIGH NIC juice.

To left is my best friend, to right is the sanda filter box.