Rapid Quantification of Chloride in Tobacco Leaves by a Chloride Meter (Model: CL-2Z)

The aim of this study is to develop a simple and rapid field method for the determination of chloride content in tobacco green or cured leaves. To set up a practical process, several factors such as the proper sampling position of each leaf, the size of leaf lamina pieces for blending, the substitution of deionized water fur the extracting solution, 0.1N $HNO_3$, the submerging durations before blending, and the standing times before measuring were studied using flue-cured and burley tobacco with a stable and reproducible Chloride Meter, KRK CL-2Z. From the results, chloride contents of tobacco leaves could be analyzed with the Chloride Meter(CL-2Z) using the suspension of 14 mm diameter leaf disks after soaking in distilled water for 30 min., blending with a mini-blender for 30 seconds. The chloride contents measured in this way showed highly significant correlations with ones by the conventional potentiometric method using an ion meter-chloride electrode and $AgNO_3$ titration. In our method, the procedures such as drying, powdering and weighing samples, and using chemical reagents for extraction (0.1N $HNO_3$) and titration(0.028N $AgNO_3$) could be eliminated. These results suggest that the newly constructed method using the Chloride Meter is more efficient to determine the chloride content of tobacco leave in comparison with the one by the Ion $Meter:AgNO_3$ titration.

Chloride Meter(CL-2Z형)를 이용한 담배잎 중 chloride의 신속한 검정방법