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TSRC, Tob. Sci. Res. Conf., 2021, 74, abstr. 21

Characterization of free radicals in cigarette smoke and e-cigarette aerosols by spin-trapping EPR spectroscopy

DAVIS M.(1); PROBERT C.C.(2); SMIRNOVA T.(2); SMIRNOV A.(2); PRASAD G.L.(3)
(1) R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Winston-Salem, NC, USA; (2) North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA; (3) RAI Services Company, Winston-Salem, NC, USA

E-cigarettes have gained popularity since their introduction in the market; however, only limited data about free radical content of e-cigarette aerosols and the nature of the radicals formed are available in the literature. The overall goal of this study was to characterize and quantify short-lived radicals produced in e-cigarette aerosol condensate and compare them with radicals produced in smoke of combustible cigarettes. To achieve this goal, we employed a spin-trapping method in combination with Electronic Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) detection. We quantified production of short-lived radicals in e-cigarette aerosol condensate and have shown that they are at the level of 2.2% - 3.7% of the radicals trapped from smoke of a reference 1R6F combustible cigarette. The major component of the spin-adduct spectra was assigned to an oxygen-centered alkoxy radical.