Nicotine, a chemical mostly within the plants of the Solanaceae family, is an alkaloid and is available accumulated in the leaves of these plants, though the biosynthesis of the chemical occurs in the roots of the plants. Nicotine is probably the major the different parts of addictive plants like tobacco (0.6%-3.0%) and ‘s the reason behind their addiction in humans because of its psychoactive nature.

The follow are 10 interesting factual statements about nicotine.

1. Etymology

The name nicotine comes from the scientific name of the tobacco plant Nicotiana tabacum. The scientific name of the tobacco plant is itself named the French ambassador to Portugal Jean Nicot de Villemain. Villeman is credited for sending tobacco seeds and plant saplings to Paris in 1560 because of its use in medicinal purposes.

2. Extraction

Nicotine was first extracted from the tobacco plant by German physician Dr. Wilhelm Heinrich Posselt and chemist Karl Ludwig Reimann in 1828. Following its discovery Posselt and Reimann labelled it as a poison. www.puffandpouch.com In fact nicotine can be an antiherbivore chemical, which in turn causes addiction when consumed in small amounts (1mg or less) and death if taken in high amounts (30mg-60mg).

3. Chemistry

Nicotine can be an alkaloid with the chemical formula C10H14N2. Its IUPAC name is 3[2,5-1-methylpyrrolidin-2-yl]pyridine. It has a molecular mass of 162.12g/mol. Nicotine is really a hygroscopic liquid that is miscible with water as a nitrogenous base. Its density is 1.01g/cm3, melting point -79oC and boiling point 247oC. The nicotine molecule includes a half life of 2 hours and its own metabolism is hepatic. Nicotine can be optically active and contains two enantiomeric forms.

4. Nicotine being an insecticide

As already said nicotine can be an antiherbivore drug which if taken in huge amounts is fatal alive forms. That is why nicotine laden tobacco has been used being an insecticide even before the World War II. But following the WWII its usage drastically lowered due to the option of cheap synthetic insecticides which are more easily available than tobacco and less harmful to mammals. But in the recent times the hype surrounding organic farming has again increased the interest of the farmers in the use of tobacco as a pesticide being an alternate to chemical pesticides.

5. Nicotine addiction

Our central nervous system has certain nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Nicotine binds to several of these and escalates the quantity of several neurotransmitters. Among these neurotransmitters dopamine is one particular neurotransmitter which is significantly increased during nicotine use and is in charge of the sense of euphoria and relaxation due to the use of tobacco (nicotine) products.

6. Psychoactive ramifications of nicotine

Nicotine is a psychoactive substance as it is mood altering. It causes both euphoria and relaxation. In your body nicotine is metabolised in the liver. First after its metabolism nicotine results in the release of glucose from the liver and epinephrine from the adrenal medulla. This sudden release of glucose and epinephrine causes euphoria following the intake of nicotine. Following the initial euphoria nicotine leads to relaxation, increased alertness and sharpness by working on different neurotransmitters of the body. Nicotine also offers pain relieving properties.

7. Unwanted effects of nicotine intake

Tough it seems like nicotine is a great substance to increase one’s sharpness, induce calmness and elevate one’s mood you can find more negative areas of nicotine intake than positive. Among these the most typical unwanted effects of nicotine intake are an increased risk of hypertension and heart attacks. It really is sad that every cigarette a man smokes reduces his life time by 14 years. Moreover since nicotine has been found to affect the working of Estrogen on hippocampus, hence in the long term nicotine users are prone to amnesia and other related diseases.

8. Toxicity

Nicotine is known as to be more toxic than most common drugs like heroin and cocaine. More harm is performed by nicotine to the human body because it is readily absorbed by the bloodstream and reaches the brain through the lungs within 7 seconds of its intake either orally or as nicotine patches.

9. Usage of nicotine in medical science

Though nicotine is not a doctor’s companion, it really is yet not his worst foe. Nicotine known because of its pain relieving properties is being researched upon to be used as a potential pain killer minus its harmful effects. Nicotine has also been found to lessen preeclampsia, allergic asthma; amongst others by acting as an anti-inflammatory agent.

10. Nicotine in literature

Nicotine has been personified in popular literature as Nick O’ Teen, a humanoid villainous character in Superman comics that was created as part of anti-nicotine drive to educate children concerning the ill-effects of nicotine intake in virtually any form.

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