Vaping is now firmly established in mainstream society; with the increasing financial pressures on everyday life, many people are choosing vaping as viable means of giving up smoking. Vaping devices are now an excellent form of nicotine replacement therapy, and fully understanding the nicotine in the vape device is both important and welcome. The manufacturers of e-liquids are now transitioning from the more traditional type of nicotine to a newer form that has a different production method. In this short piece, we will describe both types of nicotine, their use throughout history, how they are manufactured, and their different characteristics.
Nicotine Comes to The New World
The humble tobacco plant was first grown by the indigenous peoples of Central and South America, where it was used as both a medicine and a drink. It was brought back to Europe in the fifteen hundreds by Spanish conquistadors, amongst others. Nicotine was then isolated by German chemists in 1828 and originally thought to be harmful to the body. Nicotine chemical makeup is a salt and not easily absorbed by the body. Early in the 20th century tobacco producers led by the Marlboro company invented a chemical process that produced a form of nicotine called Freebase, which allowed the nicotine to be more easily absorbed into the body. This manufacturing process uses ammonia to increase PH levels, which means when burnt, the lungs quickly absorb it, but this also creates a harsh sensation as the strength of the nicotine increases.
Improving The Product
A newer type of nicotine is now becoming popular; it uses the same nic salts in tobacco but uses a different manufacturing process. Salt nicotine is produced using naturally occurring acids to alter its chemical makeup; instead of increasing the PH levels as Freebase does, it lowers the PH. The nicotine is then absorbed at a lower temperature giving the vaper a much-improved vaping experience. Salt nic also has a further vital quality: it allows higher nicotine strengths in an e-liquid with no rise in harshness. This characteristic is the reason why it is becoming the nicotine type of choice for vaping manufacturers looking to produce new and exciting e-liquids.
Understanding Nicotine When Mixing E-Liquids
Nicotine salt successfully produces an improved vape than the freebase alternative; it is also becoming the better option for vapers who mix their own e-liquids. As much as 50mg of Nic salt shots can be combined with the shortfill liquid without any harshness increase. The budding mixologist should remember that this will dilute the flavour of the base shortfill liquid. Increasing the nicotine salt levels in their e-liquids can result in the need to vape less as more nicotine is absorbed in fewer puffs of vapour.
With the continual development of new e-liquids with improved qualities, which prefer this more recent form of nicotine it, could see a phasing out of the freebase type of nicotine sometime in the coming years.
Having a better understanding of the nicotine in your tasty vape liquids means you can take your vaping experiences into new and exciting areas you may not have thought possible. Look at the different alternative e-liquids available from your favourite supplier today.
