The Distribution of Cigarette Smoke Components between Mainstream and Sidestream Smoke: I. Acidic Components

Yields in sidestream (SS) and mainstream (MS) smokes and sidestream to mainstream distribution ratios (SS/MS) of acidic components were examined for four types of cigarette made from bright, Burley, Turkish and domestic (c.v. Matsukawa) tobacco. Of the acidic components, formic and acetic acids were analysed by GC following n-butyl esterification, and acids other than formic and acetic acids and phenols similarly after trimethylsilylation. In acidic fractions of sidestream and mainstream smokes of four types of cigarettes, major phenolic components were phenol, catechol and hydroquinone, and major acids were formic, acetic, lactic, glycolic and succinic The following compounds gave SS/MS ratios > 1 for all types of cigarettes tested: phenol, cresols, xylenols, guaiacol, formic acid and acetic acid.