Determination of gas-phase sidestream cigarette smoke components using Fourier transform infrared spectrometry

Abstract

Five gas-phase compounds in fresh sidestream cigarette smoke were determined using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry. Ammonia, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide and nitric oxide yields for five different cigarette brands were measured. Gas concentrations in the sidestream smoke were calculated from absorbance measurements made approximately every 30 s. Component yields were calculated by integrating the concentration versus time curves over the cigarette smoking period with incorporation of sample flow and gas cell pressure data. Results of these measurements were compared with measurements made using standard analytical techniques: infrared absorption using non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) analysers for the determination of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, chemiluminescence for nitric oxide and spectrophotometric-based methods for ammonia and hydrogen cyanide. Statistical analysis of the results indicates that the FTIR-based method and the standard methods are equivalent for two analytes, ammonia and carbon dioxide, but are significantly different for carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide and nitric oxide. The mean yields per cigarette for carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, and nitric oxide using the FTIR-based method are approximately 45% higher than those for the NDIR-, spectrophotometric-and chemiluminescence-based methods used for these compounds.