A PROCESS FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF TOBACCO
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Gedge, of N° 11 Wellington Street,
Strand, London, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent for an Invention
of "A PROCESS FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF TOBACCO" a Communication to
him from abroad by Friedrich Carl Glaser, of Berlin, Prussia, in the Empire of
Germany.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Gedge at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th January 1883.
WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of N° 11 Wellington Street, Strand, London, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, 'A PROCESS FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF
TOBACCO " A Communication to me from abroad by Friedrich Carl Glaser, of
Berlin, Prussia, in the Empire of Germany,
Many attempts have been made to improve the quality of Tobacco when the
Tobacco Crops have been bad, but these have run in the direction either of an
addition of certain aromatic substances (termed "sauces") to hide the bad flavour
of the same, or of the removal of constituent parts to effect a more or less
considerable chemical change.
In the latter case the tobacco is steeped in cold or hot water, or in acids or
alkalis in watery solution. By the application of this means however just those
substances were extracted which communicate the aromatic flavour and the
agreable narcotic effect, whilst on the other hand precisely those substances
remained behind, which, especially in the smoking of low quality tobaccos, cause a
disagreeable flavour.
Other methods, such as subsequent fermentation &c, by which, besides other
changes, it was thought an improvement would be effected through the diminution
of the quantity of nicotine, had, apart from the fact that precisely the requisite
agreeable action of the tobacco was thereby removed, the disadvantage of removing
at the same time other properties such as colour, aroma, and also the special
flavour of the tobacco; in such a manner that celluloze was nearly all that was left.
The object of the present invention is to improve the quality and thereby
increase the value of tobacco, by removing therefrom, without injury to the aroma
Price A1

page_text: of the tobacco, the fatty, waxy, and resinous substances therein contained and
which to a great extent have entered the plant through the cultivation of the
ground, especially by the manuring, &c, also, if desired in a sanitary point of view,
to secure an exact dosing or deterinined quantity of the nicotine contents of the
tobacco.
The proposed object is attained by winning the tobacco-extract in accordance
with the known methods with determined materials, subjecting it to a certain
cleansing process and then adding it again to the tobacco. All volatile substances
which set free fat, resin and wax are suitable for employment as a means for
oxtraction, as, for example, chloroform, ether, chloride of ether (aethylidenchlorid),
ethylic chloride, (aethylenchlorid), sulphuret of carbon (schwefelkohlenstoff') and
others.
According to this Invention:-The tobacco is subjected to a process of extraction
by one of the said Extractive substances in a known manner.
The portion of the substance serving as the medium of extraction, which is
retained by the tobacco after the extraction process has been concluded, is subjected
to the pressure of air, carbonic acid or other gases, and eventually, after heating
the extraction vessel, removed from the same, whereby the medium of extraction
is recovered.
This medium is distilled off from the extract produced and the last-traces of the
same removed by heating in vacuum.
The extract now contains in addition to other materials, a portion of the
nicotine, colouring matter, wax and fatty constituent parts and with these latter is
combined the aroma of the tobacco. The extract, under the action of heat with an
alkaline reacting watery fluid (about half per cent ammoniacal solution has been
found to answer well) is then kept for a long time in agitation. The aromatic
parts are taken up by the alkaline reacting fluid, whilst a sineary, coloured, and
sticky mass remains behind; the colouring matter and a portion of the nicotine is
also taken up by the alkaline fluid. The alkaline fluid which is charged with the
said matters is separated from the waxy parts by means of filtration, centrifugal
action or a similar process. The Tobacco is impregnated with the alkaliné fluid so
obtained by sprinkling, dipping or other similar treatment. The tobacco is then
dried, the superfluous water and ammonia thereby evaporating, whilst the aroma,
colouring matter, etc, remain behind.
If a determined quantity or dosing of the nicotine contents is to be attained,
then in that case, the extract liberated from the medium of extraction is agitated
with slightly acidulated water (that which contains about half per cent of chloric
acid is preferred) and the resultant solution, in which the nicotine is found, is
separated from the unliberated remaining substances by filtration, or a similar
process. The exact proportion or dosing of the desired nicotine contents in the
final product may be effected by a greater or less addition of acid, and relatively to
the quantity of nicotine already in or existing in the absorbing tobacco.
The nicotine may also be again won and added in determined quantities to the
alkaline water with which the tobacco is impregnated.
Instead of tobacco in a raw state it may be advantageous under certain
circumstances to submit tobacco in any stage of the manufacture to the described
process.
Further the separate operations forming the process may be distributed over
different stages of the manufacture, so that, for example, the extraction after the
fermentation and the addition of the extract, may first be effected in the case of the
manufactured article, or in any one of the intermediate stages of the manufacture
or may be effected in a similar way.
"
There is also nothing in the described process which prevents the use of the
'sauces” sometimes used to give a certain flavour in the smoking of the tobacco

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Edward Gedge in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th July 1883.
WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of N° 11 Wellington Street, Strand, London, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent "A PROCESS FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF
TOBACCO A Communication to me from abroad by Friedrich Carl Glaser, of
Berlin, Prussia, in the Empire of Germany,
31
Many attempts have been made to improve the quality of Tobacco when the
Tobacco Crops have been bad, but these have ran in the direction either of an
addition of certain aromatic substances (termed "sauces") to hide the bad flavor of
the same, or of the removal of constituent parts to effect a more or less considerable
chemical change.
In the latter case the tobacco is steeped in cold or hot water, or in acids or
alkalis in watery solution. By the application of this means however just those
substances were extracted which communicate the aromatic flavor and the
agreeable narcotic effect, whilst on the other hand precisely those substances
remained behind, which, especially in the smoking of low quality tobaccos, cause
a disagreeable flavor.
Other methods, such as subsequent fermentation, etc, by which, besides other
changes, it was thought an improvement would be effected through the diminution
of the quantity of nicotine, had, apart from the fact that precisely the requisite
agreeable action of the tobacco was thereby removed, the disadvantago of removing
at the same time other properties such as color, aroma, and also the special flavor
of the tobacco in such a manner that cellulose was nearly all that was left.
The object of the present invention is to improve the quality and thereby
increase the value of tobacco, by removing therefrom without injury to the aroma
of the tobacco the fatty, waxy and resinous substances therein contained and which
to a great extent have entered the plant through the cultivation of the ground,
especially by the manuring, etc, also if desired in a sanitary point of view to securo
an exact dosing or determined quantity of the nicotine contents of the tobacco.
The proposed object is attained by winning the tobacco-extract in accordanco
with the known methods with determined materials, subjecting it to a certain
cleansing process and then adding it again to the tobacco. All volatile substances
which set free fat, resin and wax are suitable for employment as a means of
extraction, as for example, chloroform, ether, Ethylidenic-chloride, Ethylenic-
chloride, sulphuret of carbon, and others.
According to this Invention :-
The tobacco is subjected to a process of extraction by one of the said extractive
substances in a known manner.
The portion of the substance serving as the medium of extraction which is
retained by the tobacco after the extraction process has been concluded is sub-
jected to the pressure of air, carbonic acid or other gases, and eventually, after
eating the extraction vessel, removed from the same, whereby the medium of
extraction is recovered.
This medium is distilled off from the extract produced and the last traces of the
same removed by heating in vacuum.
The extract now contains in addition to other materials, a portion of the
icotine, colouring matter, wax, and fatty constituent parts, and with these latter
combined the aroma of the tobacco. The extract under the action of heat with
n alkaline re-acting watery fluid (about half. per cent ammoniacal solution bas

page_text: been found to answer well). is then kept for a longer time in agitation. The
aromatic parts are taken up by the alkaline re-acting fluid, whilst a smeary,
colored, and sticky mass remains behind; the colouring matter and a portion of the
nicotine is also taken up by the alkaline fluid.
The alkaline fluid which is charged with the said matters is separated from the
waxy parts by means of filtration, centrifugal action, or a similar process. The
tobacco is impregnated with the alkaline fluid so obtained by sprinkling, dipping or
other similar treatment. The tobacco is then dried, the superfluous water and
ammonia thereby evaporating, whilst the aroma, coloring matter, etc, remain
behind.
If a determined quantity or dosing of the nicotine contents is to be attained,
then in that case, the extract liberated from the medium of extraction is agitated
with slightly acidulated water (that which contains about a half per cent of chloric
acid is preferred) and the resultant solution in which the Nicotine is found, is
separated from the unliberated remaining substances by filtration, or a similar
process. The exact proportion or dosing of the desired nicotine contents in the
final product may be effected by a greater or less addition of acid, and relatively to
the quantity of nicotine already in, or existing in the absorbing tobacco.
The nicotine may also be again won and added in determined quantities to the
alkaline water with which the tobacco is impregnated.
The following are some examples of the process above set forth and described in
which the attractive media employed, as well as those subsequently made use of for
the acid solutions, are varied, and it may be remarked that these variations may
also be effected in different ways.
EXAMPLE 2.
In this Example an Ethylidenic-Chloride is employed as the extractive
medium. The proportion of parts as well as the performance of the operation of
extraction and distillation is precisely similar to the process herein above described.
If in this example the nicotine contained in the extract is to be removed, then in
that case, the extract, under application of heat, has added to it, 1 litre of ½ per
cent chloric acid solution and is then agitated. After cooling it is filtered and the
residue now freed from nicotine is washed with water-This extract is then again,
as in the first example, agitated with 1 litre of 1/2 per cent ammoniacal solution
under the application of heat, and filtered after cooling. The deposition of the
waxy substances also takes place, and the filtered product after cooling is poured
equally over the dried tobacco which has been subjected to the extractive process,
and then finally dried, whereby the desired result of a well flavored tobacco
liberated from substances of a waxy and resinous nature is obtained.

page_text: EXAMPLE 3.
In this third Example will be shown how the process of improving the tobacco
is performed simultaneously with the dosing of the nicotine contents, chloroform
being in this case the extraction medium employed. The tobacco used as the raw
material is first analysed to ascertain precisely the quantity of nicotine it contains,
which we will assume turns out to be three per cent. Then for the process of extraction
1 kilogramme of tobacco is treated with 4 kilogrammes of chloroform. In the
same manner as previously the tobacco is air dried for the removal of the absorbed
chloroform, the extract freed from chloroform by distillation, the residue with
1 litre of per cent nitric acid solution agitated under application of heat and
the solution filtered off. The residue with 1 litre of 12 per cent Potash lye is
agitated under application of heat and again filtered off.
The acid solution contains all the nicotine, and this nicotine, is abstracted
therefrom by distillation with caustic lime; 30 grammes of nicotine are obtained
corresponding to the aforesaid quantity of this substance contained in the tobacco
and if, for example, this quantity has to be reduced to 1 per cent, then to this end
10 grammes of the obtained nicotine are added to the alkali solution with which
the tobacco is again equally impregnated and then dried as before
Instead of tobacco in a raw state it may be advantageous under certain circum-
stances to submit tobacco in any stage of the manufacture to the described
process.
Further, the separate operations forming the process may be distributed over
different stages of the manufacture, so that, for example, the extraction, after the
fermentation and the addition of the extract, may first be effected in the case of
the manufactured article, or in any one of the intermediate stages of the manu-
facture, or may be effected in a similar way.
There is also nothing in the described process which prevents the use of
the " sauces sometimes used to give a certain flavor in the smoking of the
tobacco.
"
Having now described and ascertained the nature of the Invention Com-
municated to me as aforesaid and in what manner the same is or may be performed
I Claim as secured to me by the hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent :-
1°. The process for the improvement of Tobacco by the addition thereto of an
extract which is obtained from tobacco by means of volatilo substances that aro
solvents of fat, resin, and wax, and which, for the separation or elimination of the
substances containing wax and fat, -are treated with alkaline re-acting fluids,
substantially as described.
2º. Ensuring a determined quantity of nicotine in Tobacco improved by the
above specified process, either by previous treatinent of the extract with aciditied
water, to remove a portion of the nicotine, or by an addition of nicotine, extracted
from the acidified water, substantially as herein before described.
In Witness whereof I the said William Edward Gedge have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Fourth day of July in the year of our Lord one thousand
Eight hundred and Eighty three
TA ARDAR