Smoking Articles

The invention that is the subject of this application relates to cigarettes and similar smoking articles.

In United Kingdom Patent Specification No. 2 175 789A there is a disclosure to the effect that cigarettes having a circumference within a range of 10 mm to 19 mm and a free burn rate of the cigarette rod of 25 to 50 mg min.sup.-1 exhibit lower smoke component sidestream deliveries than do comparable conventional cigarettes.

There are disclosed in United Kingdom Patent Specification No. 2 094 130A cigarettes comprising cigarette papers having air permeabilities due to viscous flow of not more than 3 Coresta Units and Do/t ratios in a range of 0.08 to 0.65 cm sec.sup.-1, where Do signifies the coefficient of diffusion of oxygen through nitrogen in the paper and T signifies the thickness of the cigarette paper. Such cigarettes exhibit low deliveries of total particulate matter and nicotine in the sidestream smoke.

A further approach to the obtainment of low component deliveries in the sidestream smoke of cigarettes is by way of using cigarette papers comprising one or more sidestream reducing compounds. Thus, for example, there is a teaching in United Kingdom Patent Specification No. 2 139 869A that the total particulate matter in the sidestream smoke emanating from the lit end of a cigarette during the smoking thereof can be reduced by at least 30% if the cigarette paper comprises one or more, preferably a plurality, of compounds of the group consisting of lithium hydroxide, aluminum hydroxide, calcium hydroxide, potassium formate, sodium formate and sodium acetate.

Another example of the use of sidestream reducing compounds is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,377, which includes sidestream reducing compounds having at least 15% by weight of magnesium oxide or magnesium hydroxide with at least 0.5% of an adjuvant salt selected from the group consisting of the alkali metal salts of acetic, carbonic, citric, nitric, and tartaric acid incorporated in combination in cigarette paper.

It is an object of the subject invention to provide an improved low sidestream cigarette or similar smoking article.

The subject invention provides a smoking article comprising a smoking material rod, which rod comprises smoking material and a wrapper circumscribing said smoking material, said rod not exceeding 20 mm in circumference and said wrapper being of a material comprising a sidestream reducing compound, said material being such that when providing a wrapper of a smoking material rod of conventional cigarette circumference there is effected a reduction of at least 30% in the particulate matter, on a water and nicotine free basis, of sidestream smoke compared with a control rod of the same conventional cigarette circumference and comprising conventional cigarette paper.

The sidestream reducing compound is effective to reduce visible sidestream smoke components without effecting a marked, if any, reduction in gas phase components of sidestream smoke. These compounds can be broadly summarized as Group I and Group IIA metal salts of organic and inorganic acids, wherein the organic acids include acetic, carbonic, oxalic, formic, benzoic, citric, lactic, and tartrate and the inorganic acids include nitric, ferric, boric, hydroboric, and hydroiodic. Among the compounds which can be used, singly or in combination, as sidestream reducing compounds are alumina, aluminum hydroxide, barium acetate, barium bromide, barium nitrate, calcium hydroxide, caesium acetate, caesium carbonate, caesium nitrate, lithium hydroxide, lithium oxalate, magnesium hydroxide, magnesium iodide, magnesium oxide, potassium acetate, potassium benzoate, potassium bicarbonate, potassium citrate, potassium formate, potassium lactate, potassium nitrite, potassium oxalate, potassium oxaloferrate (III), potassium tartrate, potassium tetraborate, rubidium acetate, rubidium carbonate, rubidium hydroxide, rubidium nitrate, sodium acetate, sodium nitrate, sodium oxalate, and Attapulgite clay. Some of the compounds which can be used as sidestream reducing compounds are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,311 and include the sodium and potassium salts of acids such as carbonic, citric, tartaric, fumaric, oxalic, malonic, succinic, nitric, and phosphoric acid.

Several other United Kingdom patents disclose compounds which may utilized as sidestream smoke reducing compounds. For instance, United Kingdom Patent Specification No. 2119417B teaches the use of a grade of magnesium oxide which is unreactive with water with magnesium hydroxide having an average particle size of less than 10 micrometers which may be utilized as a sidestream reducing compounds. Another United Kingdom Patent, Specification No. 2118986B, teaches the use of magnesium oxide and an amorphous magnesium hydroxide gel, and the use of magnesium oxide and an amorphous magnesium hydroxide gel in combination with an adjuvant salt to provide a sidestream reducing compound. In addition, United Kingdom Patent Specification No. 2118986B discloses the use of sidestream reducing compounds having a superficial surface area of at least eighty square meters containing up to about 15% by weight of at least one alkali metal salt selected from sodium and/or potassium salts of carbonic acid, formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, malic acid, lactic acid, glycolic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, fumaric acid, oxalic acid, malonic acid, nitric acid, phosphoric acid, sodium citrate and potassium citrate. other sidestream reducing compounds included are water insoluble clays, and/or oxides, peroxides, carbonates, phosphates, sulfates, aluminates and silicates.

Suitably, the material of wrappers of smoking articles according to the present invention is paper. Water insoluble sidestream reducing compounds may be added in powder form as a filler to the paper furnish during the making process of paper wrapper material. Water soluble sidestream reducing compounds are preferably applied to the wrapper material in aqueous solution.

The smoking material of smoking articles according to the subject invention preferably comprises or consists of cut tobacco, a proportion of which tobacco may be expanded tobacco. The smoking material may comprise reconstituted tobacco or tobacco substitute material.

The length of the smoking material rod is advantageously at least 60 mm and the rod should preferably yield not less than six puffs, and more preferably not less than seven puffs when smoked under standard machine smoking conditions. The rod is preferably of uniform cross-sectional shape and dimensions throughout the length of the rod. If the rod is of circular cross-section, the circumference of the rod may be as low as 10 mm for example, but is preferably not less than 12.5 mm.

Advantageously, the circumference of the smoking material rod does not exceed about 19 mm and more advantageously it may be less than 18 mm.

Preferably, cigarettes according to the subject invention comprise filter or mouthpiece means attached to the smoking material rod at one end thereof.

Preferably, wrappers of smoking articles according to the present invention are of a low permeability, the permeability thereof being, for example, not more than 20 Coresta Units, and more preferably not more than 12 Coresta Units.

In order to further the understanding of the present invention, examples according thereto will now be described.

There was produced a cigarette consisting of a 20 mm circumference cigarette rod of 64 mm length and a cellulose acetate filter of 20 mm length attached to the rod by means of a tipping wrapper. The rod comprised a cut tobacco filler having a density of 240 mg cm.sup.-3, which filler was wrapped in a circumscribing cigarette paper wrapper of 19 Coresta Units permeability and a substance of 45 gm m-2. The cigarette paper wrapped comprised 23% chalk, 8% magnesium hydroxide and 2% sodium acetate. When these cigarettes were smoked under standard machine smoking conditions, i.e. a 35 cm.sup.3 puff of 2 seconds duration every minute, to a cigarette rod butt 8 mm long, the total yield of sidestream particulate matter, on a water and nicotine free basis, was 9.2 mg, the total yield of sidestream carbon monoxide being 34.3 mg. The number of puffs during smoking was 8.9.

Cigarettes were produced consisting of 20 mm circumference, 64 mm long cigarette rods and 20 mm long cellulose acetate filters attached to the rods by tipping wrappers. The cigarette rods comprised a cut tobacco filler of a density of 287 mg cm.sup.-3 and cigarette paper wrappers of 11 Coresta Units permeability and a substance of 43 gm.sup.-2. The cigarette paper wrapper comprised 19.7% chalk, 5.0% magnesium oxide and 6.7% citrate tri-potassium (expressed as % anhydrous citric acid). These cigarettes, smoked under standard machine smoking conditions, produced a total yield of sidestream particulate matter, water and nicotine free, of 13.3 mg and a total yield of sidestream carbon monoxide of 36.8 mg. The cigarettes yielded 8.3 puffs.

Cigarettes were produced consisting of 17 mm circumference, 70 mm long cigarette rods and 27 mm long cellulose acetate filters. The density of the cut tobacco filler of the cigarette rods was 293 mg cm.sup.-3. The cigarette rod wrappers were of cigarette paper of 26 Coresta Units permeability and a substance of 26 gm.sup.-2. The paper did not contain sidestream reducing compounds. Some of these cigarettes were overwrapped with a second cigarette paper, which second paper was of 15 Coresta Units permeability and of a basis weight of 50 g m.sup.-2. The second paper comprised 4.5% chalk, 24.3% magnesium hydroxide and 3.6% sodium acetate.

When the overwrapped cigarettes were smoked under standard smoking conditions it was determined that each produced a total yield of sidestream particulate matter, water and nicotine free, of 8.3 mg and total yields of sidestream carbon monoxide and nicotine of 39.1 mg and 1.1 mg respectively. The puff number of the overwrapped cigarettes was 12. When the non-overwrapped cigarettes were smoked under the same conditions, the total yields of sidestream particulate matter, water and nicotine free, carbon monoxide and nicotine were 20.7 mg, 45 mg and 2.7 mg respectively.

Two types of control cigarette were smoked, each having a 64 mm long cigarette rod of a conventional 24.75 mm circumference. The first type of control cigarette comprised a conventional cigarette paper wrapper of 47 Coresta Units permeability, a substance of 25 gm.sup.-2, the wrapper comprising 26% chalk and 0.8% tri-potassium citrate. When the first type of control cigarette was smoked under standard smoking conditions, it was found to deliver a total yield of sidestream nicotine of 4.9 mg. As noted above, the total sidestream nicotine delivery for the non-overwrapped 17 mm cigarettes was 2.7 mg. It may thus be observed that with the cigarettes comprising conventional cigarette paper wrappers, a reduction of cigarette rod circumference to an unconventional 17 mm, from a conventional 24.75 mm, reduces the sidestream nicotine by 45%.

The second type of control cigarette comprised a cigarette paper wrapper of the same type of paper as used to overwrap the above mentioned overwrapped 17 mm cigarettes. When the second type of control cigarette was smoked under standard smoking conditions, it was found to deliver a total yield of sidestream nicotine of 2.5 mg. When this sidestream nicotine yield is compared with that of the first type of control cigarette, it may be observed that the substitution of the sidestream reducing cigarette paper for the conventional cigarette paper of the first type of control cigarette effects a 49% reduction in sidestream nicotine yield.

From the above it would be expected that by combining in a single cigarette the two sidestream nicotine reducing features, namely a reduction in cigarette circumference from 24.75 mm. to 17 mm. and the substitution of a conventional cigarette paper by a sidestream reducing cigarette paper, that the total sidestream nicotine yield would be reduced to 28% of that of a conventional cigarette comprising neither of the features, which conventional cigarette is represented by the first type of control cigarette. In point of fact though, the 17 mm circumference overwrapped cigarettes, which, of course, do comprise each of the two sidestream reducing features, effect a reduction in total sidestream nicotine yield to a value, namely 1.1 mg. which is 22.5% of that of the first type of control cigarette. Thus the overwrapped 17 mm circumference cigarettes exhibited a synergistic sidestream nicotine reduction effect.

Cigarettes were produced consisting of 24.75 mm circumference, 64 mm long cigarette rods and 20 mm long cellulose acetate filters. The density of the cut tobacco filler of the cigarette rods was 279 mg cm.sup.-3. The cigarette rod wrappers were of a conventional cigarette paper of 47 Coresta Units permeability and a substance of 25 g m.sup.-2. The paper comprised 26% calcium carbonate filler and 0.81% of burn additive consisting of a mixture of potassium citrate and sodium citrate, expressed as percentage citric acid. These cigarettes were designated Cigarettes A.

Second cigarettes, designated Cigarettes B, were produced, the Cigarettes B being in all particulars the same as the Cigarettes A excepting that the cigarette rod wrappers of the Cigarettes B were of a sidestream reducing paper of 19 Coresta Units permeability and a substance of 44.8 g m.sup.-2. The sidestream reducing paper comprised 8.2% magnesium hydroxide, 21.8% calcium carbonate and 2.02% sodium acetate.

Cigarettes C were produced, which cigarettes were the same as Cigarettes A in all particulars excepting that the Cigarettes C were of a circumference of 17 mm.

Cigarettes D were produced, which cigarettes were the same as Cigarettes C in all particulars excepting that the cigarette rod wrappers of the Cigarettes D were of the same paper as that of the cigarette rod wrappers of the Cigarettes B. Cigarettes D were cigarettes in accordance with the subject invention.

The Cigarettes A-D were smoked under standard machine smoking conditions and measurements were made of the total sidestream yields per cigarette of particulate matter, on a water and nicotine free basis (PMWNF), total nicotine alkaloids (TNA) and carbon monoxide (CO). The measured values are given in Table 1.

The predicted values shown in Table 1 for Cigarettes D were calculated from the measured values for Cigarettes A-C. Thus, for example, the predicted value of PMWNF for Cigarettes D is calculated as - ##EQU1##

The measured value of PMWNF for Cigarettes D was 7.0 mg. It is thus seen that in both reducing the diameter of a cigarette and providing a sidestream reducing wrapper therefor in accordance with the subject invention there is effected a synergistic reduction in sidestream PMWNF. As Table 1 also shows, Cigarettes D in accordance with the subject invention also exhibit synergistic reductions in sidestream TNA and CO.

The average puff number of Cigarettes D was 10.8.

Cigarettes E were produced consisting of 24.75 mm circumference, 64 mm long cigarette rods and 20 mm long cellulose acetate filters. The density of the cut tobacco filler of the cigarette rods, which filler contained 12% by weight of DIET expanded tobacco, was 252 mg cm.sup.-3. The cigarette rod wrappers of the Cigarettes E were of the same conventional cigarette paper as was used for the Cigarettes A of Example IV.

Cigarettes F were produced, which were the same in all particulars as the Cigarettes E except for the use in Cigarettes F of cigarette paper of 18 Coresta Units permeability and 47.4 g m.sup.-2 substance and comprising 33.3% magnesium hydroxide, 5.3% calcium carbonate, 5.3% potassium acetate and 1.1% sodium acetate.

Cigarettes G were the same in all particulars as Cigarettes E excepting that Cigarettes G were of a circumference of 17 mm and the cut tobacco filler contained 40% by weight DIET expanded tobacco, the density of the filler being 224 g cm.sup.-3.

Cigarettes H were the same as Cigarettes G in all particulars excepting that the cigarette rod wrappers of Cigarettes H were of the same sidestream reducing paper as that of Cigarettes F. Cigarettes H were cigarettes in accordance with the subject invention.

The Cigarettes E to H were smoked under standard machine smoking conditions and determinations were made of the total sidestream yields per cigarette of PMWNF, TNA and CO. The measured values are given in Table 2. The predicted values for Cigarettes H were calculated in the same fashion as is detailed above in respect of Cigarettes D.

It is to be observed of Table 2 that Cigarettes H in accordance with the subject invention exhibit synergistic reductions in sidestream PMWNF, TNA and CO. Cigarettes H also exhibited a synergistic reduction for sidestream carbon dioxide.

The average puff number of Cigarettes H was 6.8.

Cigarettes I were produced consisting of 24.75 mm circumference, 64 mm long cigarette rods and 20 mm long cellulose acetate filters. The density of the cut tobacco filler of the cigarette rods was 291 mg cm.sup.-3. The cigarette rod wrappers of the Cigarettes I were of the same conventional cigarette paper as was used for the Cigarettes A of Example IV.

Cigarettes J were produced, which were the same in all particulars as the Cigarettes I except for the use in Cigarettes J of cigarette paper of 5 Coresta units permeability and 45.0 substance and comprising 16% Attapulgite clay, 18% calcium carbonate, 11% tri-potassium citrate and 3% monoammonium phosphate.

Cigarettes K were the same in all particulars as Cigarettes I excepting that Cigarettes K were of a circumference of 17 mm.

Cigarettes L were the same as Cigarettes K in all particulars excepting that the cigarette rod wrappers of Cigarettes L were of the same sidestream reducing paper as that of Cigarettes J. Cigarettes L were cigarettes in accordance with the subject invention.

The Cigarettes I to L were smoked under standard machine smoking conditions and determinations were made of the total sidestream yields per cigarette of PMWNF, TNA and CO, the values of which are given in Table 3.

It is to be observed of Table 3 that Cigarettes L in accordance with the subject invention exhibit synergistic reductions in sidestream TNA and CO.

The average puff number of Cigarettes L was 13.0.

FIG. 1 of the diagrammatic drawings hereof shows apparatus used in making determinations of deliveries of sidestream smoke components and FIGS. 2 to 5 show a fishtail chimney forming part of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, FIGS. 3 to 5 being views on FIG. 2 taken in the directions of arrows A, B and C respectively.

The apparatus shown in FIG. 1 which was used in making the determinations of the above cited deliveries of sidestream smoke components comprised a Filtrona 302 linear smoking machine 7, a port of which is designated by reference numeral 8. At each port of the smoking machine 7 there was vertically disposed an open ended, glass fishtail chimney, that associated with port 8 being designated by reference numeral 9. In FIG. 2 dimensions a and b are 410 mm and 80 mm respectively. In FIG. 3 internal dimension (diameter) c is 24 mm and dimension d is 22 mm. Transversely disposed above chimney 9 was a preweighed Cambridge filter pad 10. The item designated by reference numeral 10' is a Cambridge filter pad utilized in the measurement of mainstream smoke component deliveries. A tube 11 extended from the upper side of the filter pad 10 to a gas-flow meter 12, from which meter 12 a tube 13 extended to a gas pump 14. Connected to the pipe 13 by inlet and outlet tubes 15, 16 was an infrared carbon monoxide analyzer 17 embodying an internal gas circulation pump (not shown).

In operation of the FIG. 1 apparatus, for the determination of sidestream smoke component deliveries of a cigarette 18 smoked at the port 8 of the smoking machine 7, the pump 14 was set to provide a flow rate through chimney 9, tube 11 and tube 13 of 2.0 liters per minute. During the smoking of the cigarette 18 under standard smoking conditions at the port 8 the sidestream smoke emanating from the cigarette 18 passed up the chimney 9 to the filter pad 10. That portion of the smoke not deposited at the pad 10 or on the interior walls of the chimney 9 passed through tubes 11, 13 and a sub-sample thereof passed through the carbon monoxide analyzer 17 by way of the inlet and outlet tubes 15, 16.

When the smoking at port 8 of the cigarette 18 and two identical cigarettes had been completed, the pad 10 was re-weighed. From the weight so determined there was subtracted the original weight of the pad 10, thus to give the weight of total particulate matter (TPM) deposited on the pad 10. The pad 10 was then extracted with an extracting solvent, propan-2-ol f or example. The extract so obtain was analyzed by gas chromatography to determine the amounts of nicotine and water deposited on the pad 10. The sum of the weights so determined of nicotine and water was subtracted from the above mentioned gravimetrically determined weight of TPM deposited on the pad 10, thus to give the weight of PMWNF there deposited.

The interior of the chimney 9 was rinsed with an extracting solvent, propan-2-ol for example. A portion of the extract so obtained was analyzed by gas chromatography to determine the amount of nicotine deposited on the interior walls of the chimney 9. The weight of nicotine so determined was added to the weight of nicotine deposited on the pad 10, thus to give the total weight of sidestream nicotine produced from the three cigarettes, which weight was divided by three to give the weight of sidestream nicotine per cigarette.

The other portion of the extract obtained from the rinsing of the chimney 9 was analyzed by an ultra violet technique, in which as a standard was employed a portion of the above referred to extract obtained from the pad 10, to determine the amount of PMWNF deposited on the interior walls of the chimney 9. The weight of PMWNF so determined was added to the weight of PNWNF, as above determined, deposited on the pad 10, thus to give the total weight of sidestream PMWNF produced f rom the three cigarettes, which weight was divided by three to give the weight of sidestream PMWNF per cigarette.

The sidestream smoke Co yield per cigarette was determined from data obtained from the analyzer 17.