Liquid aerosol formulation of an electronic smoking article
AssigneeAltria Client Services LLC
InventorsPeter Lipowicz, Pauline Marcq, Gerd Kobal, Munmaya K. Mishra, Georgios D. Karles, San Li
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Abstract
A liquid aerosol formulation for an electronic smoking article includes an aerosol former, water, nicotine, and an acid including tartaric acid. The acid is included in an amount sufficient to provide the liquid aerosol formulation with a pH ranging from about 4 to about 8.
Claims42
A liquid aerosol formulation operative in an electronic smoking article having a heater operating temperature comprising:
- an aerosol former;
- water in an amount of 0% to about 40% by weight based on the weight of the liquid aerosol formulation;
- nicotine in an amount of at least about 2% by weight based on the weight of the liquid aerosol formulation;
- and
- an acid having a melting point and/or a boiling point of at least about 150° C. and such that the acid volatilizes at the heater operating temperature and is condensable at ambient temperatures, the at least one acid being included in an amount sufficient to provide the liquid aerosol formulation with a pH ranging from about 4 to about 8;
- wherein the liquid aerosol formulation forms an aerosol having a particulate phase and a gas phase when heated during operation of the electronic smoking article, the particulate phase containing protonated nicotine and the gas phase containing unprotonated nicotine, the gas phase nicotine content of the aerosol being less than about 1% of a total nicotine content of the aerosol.
An electronic smoking article operable to produce an aerosol which substantially replicates a sensory experience of smoking a lit-end cigarette, the electronic smoking article comprising:
- a heater;
- a liquid aerosol formulation, the heater operable to volatilize the liquid aerosol formulation and form an aerosol, the liquid aerosol formulation comprising:
- an aerosol former;
- water in an amount of 0% by weight to about 40% by weight based on the weight of the liquid aerosol formulation;
- nicotine in an amount of at least about 2% by weight based on the weight of the liquid aerosol formulation;
- and
- an acid in an amount sufficient to provide the liquid aerosol formulation with a pH ranging from about 4 to about 8,
- wherein the liquid aerosol formulation is capable of forming the aerosol having a particulate phase and a gas phase when heated by the heater, the particulate phase containing protonated nicotine and the gas phase containing unprotonated nicotine, and the aerosol having a majority amount of the protonated nicotine and a minority amount of the unprotonated nicotine.
A method of replicating a sensory experience of smoking a lit-end cigarette with an electronic smoking article, the method comprising:
- heating a liquid aerosol formulation with a heater of the electronic smoking article to form an aerosol, the liquid aerosol formulation comprising:
- an aerosol former;
- water in an amount of 0% by weight to about 40% by weight based on the weight of the liquid aerosol formulation;
- nicotine in an amount of about 2% or more by weight based on the weight of the liquid aerosol formulation;
- and
- an acid in an amount sufficient to provide the liquid aerosol formulation with a pH ranging from about 4 to about 8,
- wherein the aerosol has a particulate phase and a gas phase, the particulate phase contains protonated nicotine and the gas phase contains unprotonated nicotine, the unprotonated nicotine being less than about 1% of a total nicotine content of the aerosol.
A method of forming an aerosol with an electronic smoking article, the method comprising:
- heating a liquid aerosol formulation to a temperature sufficient to form an aerosol, the liquid aerosol formulation comprising:
- an aerosol former;
- water in an amount of 0% by weight to about 40% by weight based on the weight of the liquid aerosol formulation;
- nicotine in an amount of at least about 2% by weight based on the weight of the liquid aerosol formulation;
- and
- an acid in an amount sufficient to provide the liquid aerosol formulation a pH ranging from about 4 to about 8,
- wherein the acid is operative upon the aerosol so as to reduce an amount of perceived throat harshness by a smoker in comparison to the aerosol being formed upon operation of the electronic smoking article without the acid.
A method of forming a component of an electronic smoking article, the method comprising:
- preparing a liquid aerosol formulation by combining an aerosol former in an amount of at least about 50% by weight based on the weight of the liquid aerosol formulation and water in an amount of about 5% by weight to about 40% by weight based on the weight of the liquid aerosol formulation;
- adding nicotine bitartrate in an amount sufficient to establish a nicotine content of at least about 2% by weight to the liquid aerosol formulation;
- and
- filling a reservoir of a component of an electronic smoking article with the liquid aerosol formulation.
An aerosol produced by heating a liquid aerosol formulation in an electronic smoking article, the liquid aerosol formulation including an acid and including a nicotine in an amount of at least about 2% by weight based on the weight of the liquid aerosol formulation, the aerosol having a gas phase nicotine content of the aerosol of less than 1% of a total nicotine content of the aerosol, wherein the acid is operative upon the aerosol so as to reduce an amount of perceived throat harshness by a smoker in comparison to the aerosol being formed upon operation of the electronic smoking article without the acid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.