Archive for the ‘how the e-cigarette works’ Category

Nicotine liquid, also known as e-liquid or e-juice, is a liquid mixture for the electric cigarette. Nicotine liquid comes in a variety of flavors and a few basic nicotine levels.

Flavors of Nicotine Liquid

From the many nicotine liquid flavors offered by different manufacturers, two seem to be more popular: tobacco and mint. These two flavors have different names and slightly different tastes depending on the brand—names like Original Tobacco, Cured Tobacco, or Arctic Mint may be names for the same flavor or variants of the flavor.

There are nicotine liquid flavors made to taste like those of traditional cigarettes, for example, Marlboro, Camel, Winston, or Kent. The most common of those is Marlboro.

Smokers using the electric cigarette have a better choice of flavors than those who smoke traditional cigarettes. While it is rare for traditional cigarettes to have flavors of coffee, vanilla, strawberry, or chocolate, most nicotine liquid and electric cigarette makers and sellers offer those flavors.

Nicotine Liquid: What Is It Made of?

All main ingredients in nicotine liquid are food products generally considered as safe. There are two common main ingredients in it—propylene glycol and nicotine. Nicotine liquid can be 80 to 90% propylene glycol and 0 to 6% nicotine. Other less common ingredients are menthol—for the mint flavor, glycerol, and even pure water that can be about 10% of the solution.

The addiction topic aside,  the electric cigarette (also e-cigarette or electronic cigarette) doesn’t contain tar and other harmful substances produced when smoking regular cigarettes. Though some electric cigarette cartridges come without nicotine, most users smoke nicotine liquid.  Besides nicotine the electric cigarette liquid contains mostly propylene glycol; it also contains other substances like glycerol. So, the big question is:

How much safer is the mixture of nicotine and propylene glycol (e-liquid) when smoked with the electric cigarette?

Answering this question is like saying how much healthier is the electric cigarette, compared to the conventional—since common sense already tells us that no tar equals no health problems related to tar. Here are some other things to consider:

Is Nicotine like Caffeine When Separated from the Conventional Cigarette?

Until the invention of the electric cigarette, everyone knew that nicotine is harmful because it leads to smoking conventional cigarettes. What about nicotine itself? Is it like caffeine—good in small doses but harmful in large? Is nicotine by itself, a harmful substance? If pure nicotine is safe in small doses, what is the safe dose?

Are Propylene Glycol and Other Ingredients of E-liquid Safe?

Propylene glycol, a common food additive, is generally recognized as safe. But because smoking an electric cigarette is as addictive as smoking a conventional cigarette, how safe is propylene glycol when used daily? The same applies to other ingredients of e-liquid like glycerol, also a food additive.

Is Nicotine and Propylene Glycol Mixture Harmless When Vaporized and Inhaled?

Note–I said when vaporized and inhaled. The first reason for this question is because they might change their chemical qualities when they vaporize. The second is that some parts of the electric cigarette ( the mouthpiece and its polyester core in particular) are made of less durable materials, which could emit fumes because of the heating.

What Doses of Electric Cigarette Smoking Are Harmless?

Say nicotine, propylene glycol, and other ingredients found in e-liquid are safe when inhaled. But how much inhalation is safe, compared to the conventional cigarette?

Throat Hit Origins

Throat hit is the tingling sensation smokers feel at the back of the throat. It is felt when the inhaled smoke hits the throat. The term is more relevant to e-cigarette smoking because by their very nature e-cigarettes taste lighter than conventional cigarettes. Throat hit is a major concern for e-cigarette smokers because most of them converted from conventional smoking and they are used to the stronger throat hit of a burning tobacco leaf.

So, the stronger the throat hit, the better because  it’s closer to the real thing. Let’s look at some of the factors involved in producing stronger throat hit, starting from the most important.

Throat Hit Factors

#1 E-liquid Quality: Overall quality of e-liquid is cited as the most important factor in producing stronger throat hit. First time buyers of e-cigarette should research the brands that offer e-liquid that ranks high in throat hit.

#2 Nicotine Dosage in E-liquid: The dosage of nicotine can also affect throat hit. High dosage equals stronger throat hit, but again it depends on the overall quality of the e-liquid.

#3 Condition and Proper Maintenance: Life of equipment and maintenance may determine throat hit. Often uncharged batteries and clogged atomizer may cause weak throat hit; so do defective ones.

#4 Device Parts Quality: Throat hit also depends on the quality of the separate parts of the e-cigarette: atomizer, batteries, and cartridges. The model, batch, and brand play a part too.

#5 Smoking Technique: Smoking e-cigarettes takes some time to learn. It is about three times harder to draw on an e-cigarette than on a conventional cigarette. Plus getting more vapor and throat hit depends on the particular way an e-cigarette is drawn on.

Let’s try to explain the atomizer technology of the e-cigarette in plain English. The atomizer is the part of the e-cigarette that converts the e-liquid into water vapor. The atomizer is a small metal tube. Inside it, there’s a tiny c l uster of metal wires—the heating component, and a micro pump. Depending on the model of the e-cigarette, atomizers vary in shape and size.

The Process of Atomization During E-Smoking

When a smoker takes a drag from an e-cigarette, a sensor (located inside the main body of the e-cigarette) activates the circuit board (also inside the main body). The circuit board, powered by the battery, sends two electrical currents—one to the pump and one to the heating component of the atomizer. The pump forces the e-liquid through the atomizer where the heating component starts vaporizing the e-liquid.

To most people, this sounds confusing because the atomizer comes before the cartridge with e-liquid. And suction goes in opposite direction—from the atomizer to the cartridge. If you want to solve this mystery, and the mystery of scientific writing, check my source—the European patent office. Who knows, you might come up with your own atomizing device.

Atomizer is the Most Sensitive Part of an E-cigarette

Every new e-smoker, sooner or later, learns this. It’s a good idea to keep a supply of spare atomizers, because most atomizers have a short life; and if your only atomizer dies, you risk going back to conventional cigarettes.
PS: Updated June 17, 2009

The model for how the e-cigarette works comes from information I found at the website of the European Union Patent Office. Many e-cigarette enthusiasts claim there’s no micro pump and that it exists only in the patent to confuse future competition.

An e-cigarette, or electronic cigarette, is an electronic device that converts nicotine liquid into water vapor. The e-cigarette has three main parts: a battery, atomizer, and cartridge. The battery, the largest part, has an indicator light on one side and it screws onto the atomizer. The heart of every e-cigarete is the atomizer, which converts the e-liquid into smoke. The cartridge, a cylindrical inhaler that contains the e-liquid, attaches to the atomizer.