A Rapid Technique for the Detection of Nicotine in Developing Tobacco Seedlings

Author Institution: Department of Botany and Institute of Polar Studies and Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State UniversityA rapid and sensitive method for detecting alkaloids, in particular nicotine, from Nicotiana rustica tobacco seedlings up to 2 mm in length has been developed. Growing tissue is applied (squashed) directly onto silica gel plates for thin-layer chromotographic analysis. The sensitivity of this method permits the detection of quantities of nicotine as small as 0.4 microgram