Nicotine
This is a PSYCHOACTIVE chemical substance found in TOBACCO products, including cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, and smokeless tobacco such as chewing (spit) tobacco and oral and nasal SNUFF. The nicotine molecule is composed of a pyridine ring (a 6-membered nitrogen-containing ring) with a pyrrolidine ring (a 5-membered nitrogen-containing ring).
Nicotine can occur in two forms. The active form, called L-nicotine, is found in tobacco plants of the genus Nicotiana. These are chiefly South American plants of the nightshade family (Solanaceae)—annuals cultivated since pre-Columbian times for their leaves, especially Nicotiana tabacum. The inactive form, D-nicotine, is not present in tobacco leaves but is formed, to a small extent, in the combustion of tobacco during smoking. These two forms are stereoisomers, meaning that even though they are both nicotine, they have different three-dimensional structures. In pure form, nicotine is a colorless liquid, but it turns brown on exposure to air.
Nicotine is water-soluble and transfers from tobacco to cigarette smoke readily, because it vaporizes easily. Once it is in the body, conditions are ideal for rapid distribution to blood and tissues because nicotine is a weak base, and when un-ionized under alkaline conditions, such as those found in the blood stream, it crosses cell membranes easily.
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