How poisonous is liquid nicotine?

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  • on 01.07.09
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  • I'm an author (definitely not a criminal), writing a TV-script for a thriller, in which the victim gets killed by a high dose of liquid nicotine, injected into an apple Question: 1)Does anyone know if that works, after all? Is it lethal? Or does the nicotine somehow dissolve in the apple? 2)How does it taste? Neutral enough to swallow the bite? Thanks! Catrin


  • Hello svenga: Thanks for the interesting, and disturbing question. :-) While I have not been able to find any conclusive evidence that an apple injected with liquid nicotine would be an effective or ineffective murder weapon for your script, I have been able to find enough facts that lead me to believe that it *would* be noticed quite quickly by any potential fictitious victim. First off, let's look at the dosage of liquid nicotine that needs to be ingested orally to cause a fatal reaction: liquid nicotine URL: http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1121636 Quote: "According to the National Capital Poison Center, the lethal dosage of nicotine in the human body is 40-60mg, although mild signs of poisoning can show up after consuming as little as 5mg." Your murderer character would likely want to use the upper end of that range to ensure death. 60 mg is the amount in many over-the-counter capsules. Not a huge amount, but not a trace amount either. There is no way that that much poison would be able to be concentrated into a single bite of an apple. Any liquid would rapidly diffuse throughout much of the body of a piece of fruit. What is the taste and smell of liquid nicotine? Nicotine and its Derivatives from Tobacco Waste URL: http://www.tifac.org.in/offer/tlbo/rep/TMS158.htm Quote: "Nicotine has a bitter taste and a sharp odour." Liquid nicotine clears the air in bars URL: http://www.ccchronicle.com/back_new/2004_fall/2004-11-22/campus.php?id=318 Quote: "The Nicotini gets its name (and its subsequent ?buzz?) from pure tobacco leaves that are soaked in high-proof vodka until the concoction is thoroughly infused with nicotine. From there, the drink is flavored with numerous liqueurs in order to dilute its ?bitter taste,? according to Wald.... ?Just because people can?t smoke doesn?t mean they?re going to drink something that tastes like it was poured out of an ashtray,? Nicotine URL: http://www.inchem.org/documents/pims/chemical/nicotine.htm Quote: "Nicotine is a liquid alkaloid. It is water soluble and has a pKa of 8.5. It is a bitter-tasting liquid" So, by all accounts, the stuff is nasty tasting and nasty smelling. Probably very noticable in apples, which are quite mild. So, even if the victim character doesn't notice the bad taste and smell, what happens after the first poison-laced bite? NICOTINE URL: http://www.cepis.ops-oms.org/bvsapud/i/fulltext/nicotine/nicotine.htm Quote: "Nicotine initially causes a burning sensation in mouth, throat, esophagus and stomach. Increased salivation follows. Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea are common. Vomiting may occur very early after tobacco ingestion, minimizing absorption and other toxic manifestations." Not likely to cause the victim character to take a second bite. While some researchers have experimented with prescribing liquid nicotine as a smoking cure, the dose is very low and the patient knows that they are taking the cure and will put up with the taste, smell, and other nasty sensations: Liquid Nicotine URL: http://www.thecarolinachannel.com/health/897821/detail.html Quote: "Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have patented a nicotine solution and are testing to see if it can help people quit smoking. The nicotine solution can be added to coffee, tea, soda, beer, lemonade or other acidic beverages and consumed several times a day in place of smoking. In a small pilot study, the solution proved effective. Twenty-five smokers chose a date to quit and were given the solution to mix into their beverages with instructions to use it as needed for smoking urges during a 12-week period. Participants drank between 2.5 milligrams to 10 milligrams of the solution per beverage. Abstinence rates reported by participants were 28 percent at 4 weeks, 24 percent at 3 months, and 20 percent at 6 months. Side effects of the oral solution were minimal. Only one participant dropped out of the study, complaining of a burning sensation at the site of dental work." The only mention I found of trying to camouflage the taste and smell of nicotine for oral consumption is the "Nicotini", a nicotine laced cocktail. They go to great lengths to cover up the offensive taste/smell. Liquid nicotine clears the air in bars URL: http://www.ccchronicle.com/back_new/2004_fall/2004-11-22/campus.php?id=318 Quote: "The Nicotini gets its name (and its subsequent ?buzz?) from pure tobacco leaves that are soaked in high-proof vodka until the concoction is thoroughly infused with nicotine. From there, the drink is flavored with numerous liqueurs in order to dilute its ?bitter taste,? according to Wald. ?Just because people can?t smoke doesn?t mean they?re going to drink something that tastes like it was poured out of an ashtray,? Wald said. ?When mixed together, it?s a tasty drink in its own right. The nicotine kick is just something that appeals to our patrons who can?t smoke.? But again, that's a very mild dose. Who knows what you'd have to do to cover up 60mg! So, if you want to use liquid nicotine in your script plot, I suggest you find another, more plausible way of getting it inside your fictitious victim. Further scientific information on nicotine and its effects can be found at: NICOTINE URL: http://www.cepis.ops-oms.org/bvsapud/i/fulltext/nicotine/nicotine.htm Nicotine URL: http://www.inchem.org/documents/pims/chemical/nicotine.htm Search Strategy (on Google): * "liquid nicotine" poisonous * "liquid nicotine" fatal dose * "liquid nicotine" taste * "liquid nicotine" apple I hope this helps. websearcher







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