NICOTINE (Fr. nicotine, Sp. nirotiana. from Fr. niroli?tne, tobacco, named in honor of dean Niro!). One of the vegetable alkaloids that contain no oxygen; it constitutes the active principle of the tobacco plant, in the leaves. roots, and seeds of which it occurs in combination malic and citric acids. The smoke of horning tobacco-leaves contains but a mere trace, if any, of nicotine; which does not prove, however, that tobacco smoke is harmless. for its other ingre dients are probably more or less injurious to health. Nicotine is a colorless, intensely poison ous liquid, of specific gravity 1.027 at 66° F.: it boils at 466° F. C.). evolves a very irritating odor of tobapeo, especially on the ap plication of heat, is very inflammable, and burns with a smoky flame. It is moderately soluble in water. but dissolves ,readily in alcohol and ether.
If exposed to the air, it absorbs oxygen and hecomes brown and ultimately solid. The quan tity of nicotine contained in tobacco varies from 2 to 8 per cent.: the wir-er kinds containing the larger quantity, while the best Havana cigars seldom contain more than 2 per cent., and often less. Turkish tobacco scarcely contains any nicotine at all.
The principal physiological effects of even minute doses of nicotine :tie as follows: intense gastrointestinal irritation, among the symptoms of which are nausea and vomiting. accompanied by great muscular weakness, a rapid. feeble pulse. coldness of extremities, and extreme gen eral collapse: the motor nerves and the respira tion are rapidly paralyzed. and death may ensue within three minutes after taking a dose of the poison. See also Au:Atoms.