Daily Doc: RJR, Oct 2, 1973: "Free Basing" Nicotine
Daily Doc: "Free Basing" Nicotine
Title: Implications and Activities Arising from Correlation of Smoke pH with Nicotine Impact, Other Smoke Qualities and Cigarette Sales
RJR, Oct 2, 1973
Bates #: 509314122/4154
Tue, 31 Aug 1999
This R.J. Reynolds SECRET document reveals RJR's discovery that their competitors PhilipMorris' and Lorillard were using a chemical technique to "free base" nicotine in the smoke of Marlboro and KOOL cigarettes by manipulating the smoke pH. This chemical manipulation increased sales of those brands.
CITATION
Title: Implications and Activities Arising from Correlation of Smoke pH with Nicotine Impact, Other Smoke Qualities and Cigarette Sales
Type of Document: Report w/ graphics
Author: N/A
Date: Oct. 2, 1973
Bates No. 509314122/4154
No. of Pages: 33
Site: RJ Reynolds document litigation site: http://www.rjrtdocs.com/imaging.jsp?SIZE=774&LOCATION=0&ALL_RECORDS=1
QUOTES
In essence, a cigarette is a system for delivery of nicotine to the smoker in attractive, useful form. At 'normal' smoke pH, at or below 6.0, essentially all of the smoke nicotine is chemically combined with acidic substances, hence is non-volatile and relatively slowly absorbed by the smoker. As the smoke pH increases above about 6.0, an increasing proportion of the total smoke nicotine occurs in 'free' form, which is volatile, rapidly absorbed by the smoker, and believed to be instantly perceived as nicotine 'kick'.
...Chart XIII suggests that market performance of various brands correlates positively with the total amount of 'free' nicotine, and that all brands surveyed having over about 35 micrograms of 'free' nicotine/cigarette increased in market share in the period studied...
...There is evidence that other brands which are selling well also have some of these attributes, particularly increased 'free' nicotine impact.
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