Determination of Carbon Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide, and Methane Concentrations in Cigarette Smoke by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy

The integrated absorbance areas of vibrational bands of CO 2, CO, and CH 4 gases in cigarette smoke were measured from Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra to derive the partial pressures of these gases at different smoke times. The quantity of the three gas-phase components of cigarette smoke at different smoke times were then determined. The concepts and applications of the FTIR spectroscopic technique, the Beer–Lambert law, infrared band strengths, emission rates of gases, ideal gas law, and experimental hazards were effectively demonstrated and discussed for a laboratory experiment intended for upper-division undergraduate chemistry students.