Method for determining a nicotine content in a gas mixture

A processing unit including a metal oxide-based sensor, the processing unit configured to determine a nicotine content in a gas mixture, the processing unit configured to:

• expose the metal oxide-based sensor to the gas mixture;
• apply a temperature profile over time to the metal oxide so that a temperature of the metal oxide, proceeding from a predetermined first temperature level, is brought to a predetermined second temperature level under controlled first transition conditions, and the temperature is brought from the second temperature level to a third predetermined temperature level under controlled second transition conditions;
• ascertain a transient electrical resistance of the metal oxide at at least one certain point in time during the application with the temperature profile;
• and
• determine the nicotine content based on the ascertained resistance.

A non-transitory machine-readable memory medium including a computer program for determining a nicotine content in a gas mixture, the computer program, when executed by a processing unit, causing the processing unit to perform the following steps:

• exposing a metal oxide-based sensor to the gas mixture;
• applying a temperature profile over time to the metal oxide so that a temperature of the metal oxide, proceeding from a predetermined first temperature level, is brought to a predetermined second temperature level under controlled first transition conditions, and the temperature is brought from the second temperature level to a third predetermined temperature level under controlled second transition conditions;
• ascertaining a transient electrical resistance of the metal oxide at at least one certain point in time during the application with the temperature profile;
• and
• determining the nicotine content based on the ascertained resistance.