Development of rapid detection technique for potassium content in cigarette paper

Objective： A method for simple and rapid determination of potassium content in cigarette paper will be built for workshops of cigarette factory. Methods: An ion-selective electrode method was used by comparing with the pretreatment methods for cigarette paper samples and potential response behaviors of potassium ion-selective electrodes in different buffer solutions. Results: The potassium ion selective electrode possessed excellent response performance for K+ in lithium acetate buffer solution （0.1 mol/L, pH 7.0） with a linear response range of 1.0×10-5 ~1.0×10-2 mol/L, a slope of 55.79 mV/dec （25 ℃）, and a lower limit of detection of 2.14×10-6 mol/L. The average relative standard deviations of the K+ selective electrode on cigarette paper samples were 0.55% for intra-day test and 2.8% for inter-day test, both less than 5%. The test results of the electrode method were in well agreement with that of ion chromatography, with an average relative deviation of 4.1% （n=10） and recoveries between 95.0% and 101.9%. It was demonstrated effectively through a consecutive test over one week. Conclusion: Among the pretreatment methods for cigarette paper samples, the ultrasonic extraction of potassium ions with 1% diluted acetic acid for 30 min has been found to be fast, simple and environmentally friendly. The ion-selective electrode method is accurate and reliable, which is suitable for the rapid detection of potassium in cigarette paper.