Determination of Transition Metals in Cigarette Smoke Condensate by Solvent Extraction and Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy

A method for the determination of trace transition metals in cigarette smoke is described. The smoke particulate matter is digested in nitric acid, the acid is neutralized, and metal ions are complexed with ammonium 1-pyrrolidinecarbodithioate and extracted with methyl isobutyl ketone. The metals are then determined in the organic solvent by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The sensitivity of the method is enhanced by the use of the methyl isobutyl ketone extraction. The method was evaluated for the determination of manganese, copper, iron, and zinc in the total particulate matter of smoke from University of Kentucky reference cigarettes and from commercial cigarettes. The amounts of these metals found in the smoke of a typical commercial filter cigarette are: 0.04 µg Mn, 0.10 µg Cu, 0.8 µg Fe, and 0.6 µg Zn. The method was used to show that cellulose acetate cigarette filters remove about the same percentage of metals as total particulate matter from smoke