Acetic Acid

Acetic acid is a weak acid, is also known as "ethanoic acid," and is the chemical that gives vinegar its sour taste and recognizable smell.

Treatment of tobacco with vaporized acetic acid was thought for a period in the 1960s at British American Tobacco to reduce the amount of hydrogen cyanide in Burley tobacco. Results of experiments to establish this were not consistent. [http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/cpf51f00 British-American Tobacco Co. Ltd. The Treatment Of Burley Tobacco With Acetic Acid. Laboratory Report No. L.276-R]

In 1990, RJR contracted with an external research lab to do confidential experiments on mice to gauge sensory and respiratory response, and determine levels of irritation caused by vaporized acetic acid.

Document resources

 * Evaluation of Sensory Irritation Potential and Assessment of the Respiratory Response during Exposure to Acetic Acid. (1990 R.J. Reynolds report)

To find more information on acetic acid as a cigarette additive: search_term=acetic acid