R.J. Reynolds was desperate in the mid-1970s to learn why its leading brand, Winston, was losing market share to Philip Morris' Marlboro. So were other tobacco companies that were losing out in a ruthlessly competitive business. We couldn't figure out why it was that Marlboro was taking off in sales.
Ammonia does many good things.
Two expert witnesses for the state told the jury in detail how tobacco companies use various ammonia compounds to alter the chemistry of cigarette smoke to give smokers a stronger nicotine dose. The way ammonia works, they said, is that it makes the smoke less acidic. Free nicotine's effects are felt in the brain within seconds. They didn't want to go out of business. Marlboro was the first major brand to really capitalize on ammonia, jurors learned.