GB1165191A - Improvements relating to Automatic Analysis - Google Patents

Abstract

1,165,191. Automatic analysis incorporating steam distillation. BRITISH-AMERICAN TOBACCO CO. Ltd. 29 June, 1967 [1 July, 1966], No. 29705/66. Heading B1X. Solutions and extracts comprising mutually non-reactive liquids, particularly extracts of tobacco smoke, are continuously and automatically analysed by first separating the components of the mixture by steam distillation and continuously analysing the condensate, e.g. spectrophotometrically. Thus, cigarette smoke is extracted with aqueous HC1, and precise aliquots thereof are treated with NaOH. The segmented samples are passed down glass tube 1 (Fig. 2) adjacent to heater 5 and up tube 2 within heater 5, steam and the steam volatile fraction being thereafter passed by tube 9 (Fig. 3) to the base of column 11 down which alkali flows. Steam volatile vapours then pass through capillary 12 to absorbing chamber 13 where they are absorbed in water which enters by tube 14, the solution passing down through 17 being cooled in condenser 18, and then passed through capillary 20. The stream is then split into test and reference streams and treated with sintople reagents before being compared colorimetrically or spectrophotometrically in a pair of continuous flow cells (see Fig. 4, not shown).