University of Kentucky reference cigarettes, 1R1 and 1A1, were smoked on a robot smoking machine after conditioning for 48 hours at a temperature of 75°F and 60% relative humidity. The smoke condensate samples were separated into acidic, basic and neutral fractions, which were further subdivided into 12 fractions. The smoke condensate samples were analyzed for nicotine, phenol and benzo(a)pyrene. The ether-soluble basic and weakly acidic fractions were analyzed for nicotine and phenol respectively, while the nitromethane-soluble fraction was analyzed for benzo(a)pyrene. Significant variation in the levels of phenol and benzo (a) pyrene was observed in their respective fractions for the smoke condensate from the 1R1 cigarettes. The differences were only slight for the same parameters in the fractions from the 1A1 cigarette smoke condensate samples.

(Full article published with kind permission from "Tobacco International")