Polarization Method.—Popovici has based a method of detecting the quantity of nicotin in tobacco on its property of rotating the plane of polarized light.[628] The gyrodynat of pure nicotin is expressed by the formula [a]D = -161°.6. When ten parts of nicotin are mixed with ninety parts of water, this value becomes -74°.1. By reason of this great depression in gyrodynatic value Popovici determined the relation which exists between the dilute solutions of nicotin and the number of minutes of angular rotation produced on polarization in a 200 millimeter tube. In a solution in which two grams of nicotin are contained in fifty cubic centimeters, each minute of angular rotation is found to correspond to 6.5 milligrams of nicotin. For one gram in solution in the same volume one minute of angular rotation corresponds to 5.9 milligrams and for a half gram in solution to 5.7 milligrams.

The nicotin is prepared for polarization by extracting with ether, as indicated in the previous paragraph, and the ethereal solution from twenty grams of tobacco is shaken with a concentrated solution of sodium phosphotungstate in nitric acid by means of which nicotin and ammonia are precipitated and rapidly settle. The supernatant liquid is carefully poured off and the residue made up to a volume of fifty cubic centimeters with distilled water and the nicotin freed from any of its compounds by the addition of eight grams of finely powdered barium hydroxid. In order to promote the decomposition of the nicotin compounds the mixture should be shaken at intervals for several hours. The at first blue precipitate changes into blue green and finally into yellow. It is separated by filtration and the somewhat yellow colored filtrate placed in an observation tube, polarized, the polarization calculated to minutes of angular rotation and the number of minutes thus found multiplied by the nearest factor given above.

The analyst will find a description of other methods of estimating nicotin in tobacco in the periodical literature of analytical chemistry.[629]

610. Estimation of Amid Nitrogen.—For the estimation of amid nitrogen ten grams of the powdered tobacco are digested with 100 cubic centimeters of forty per cent alcohol, the extract separated by filtration, acidified with sulfuric and the albumin, peptone, nicotin and ammonia precipitated with as little phosphotungstic acid as possible. The precipitate is separated by filtration and seventy-five cubic centimeters of the filtrate evaporated in a thin glass or tin foil capsule after the addition of a little barium chlorid and the nitrogen determined in the residue. The nitrogen thus obtained is that which was present in an amid state. The nitrogen present as amids, ammonia and nicotin subtracted from the total nitrogen leaves that present as protein.

611. Fractional Extraction of Tobacco.—To determine the character of the soluble constituents of tobacco it is advisable to subject it to a fractional extraction with different reagents. The reagents usually employed in the order mentioned are petroleum ether, ether, absolute alcohol, water, dilute soda lye and dilute hydrochloric acid. The extract obtained by petroleum ether contains vegetable wax, chlorophyll and its alteration products, fat, ethereal oils, and resin bodies. The extract with ether may be divided into water soluble and alcohol soluble bodies. Among the first are small quantities of glucosids and nicotin while in the alcoholic solution resin predominates.

The alcoholic extract is also divided into water soluble and alcohol soluble parts. The first contains the nicotin, which is insoluble in ether, in combination with acids, together with tannic acid and allied bodies and also the sugar. The part insoluble in water consists chiefly of resin.

The aqueous solution contains the vegetable mucilages (pectin) soluble carbohydrates, soluble proteids and organic acids.

The dilute soda lye solution contains chiefly proteids.

The dilute hydrochloric acid solution contains the starch and the oxalic acid originally combined with lime. The extractions with dilute soda lye and dilute hydrochloric acid should be made at a boiling temperature. The residual matter consists of a mixture of carbohydrate bodies to which the term crude fiber is usually applied.