The Study on the Photocatalytic Degradation of Nicotine Authors

Nicotine belongs to a group of compounds being specific toxic anthropogenic contaminants. Highly carcinogenic nitrozamines are one of the possible products of photocatalytic oxidation of nicotine. The main objective of the present study was to investigate the photocatalytic degradation of nicotine and the intentification of 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1butanone and N-nitroso-nornicotine among their degradation products.The experiment was carried out in an aqueous medium, in the presence of TiO2 suspension (0.4 g/l). Samples containing nicotine (0.1 mmol/l) or nicotine and NO2 ions were irradiated with UVa radiation (λmax=366 nm). Photocatalytic degradation products were identified by using LC-MS/MS method. It was found that during UVa-irradiation of samples with TiO2 the decomposition of nicotine was observed. It can be noted that under investigated conditions the formation of nitrosamines was not observed in any samples.