Free-base nicotine: why cigs contain ammonia

Tobacco companies add ammonia and urea to cigarettes to make them more alkaline when hot. The alkaline pH converts nicotine into its free-base form, instantly absorbed in the lungs and transmitted to the brain. Without the ammonia and urea, nicotine would remain in its natural form and go to the stomach, taking a long time to get to the brain. Researchers think that the action of free-base nicotine is key to its highly addictive properties. Read more here in the Middletown NY Times Herald-Record.