Temperature-Yield Profiles of Tobacco and Tobacco Constituents. II. Yields of Phenol and Cresols from Untreated and Borate-Treated Cellulose and Lignin

Abstract The data obtained from the isothermal pyrolysis of untreated and borate-treated cellulose and lignin show that borate salts influence the yields of phenol, o-cresol, and m-,p-cresol from these two tobacco leaf constituents. The observed differences between the level of phenol from tobacco and borate-treated tobacco can be at least partially attributed to the effect of borate salts on the pyrolysis of lignin and cellulose. It must be emphasized, however, that the contribution of cellulose and lignin to the formation of phenol and cresols obtained from the pyrolysis of tobacco should not be quantitatively compared with the level of phenol and cresols obtained from the pyrolysis of pure cellulose and lignin. This is also true of borate-treated cellulose and borate-treated lignin. The main conclusion from this study is that borate salts do affect the recovery of phenol and cresols from leaf constituents such as lignin and cellulose and may be partially responsible for the increased levels of phenol obtained from the isothermal pyrolysis of borate-treated tobacco.