The values posted in the chart are for dried leaf, "after aging, moisture free".
What happens next is a myriad of possibilities:
Which sugars will be added, which leaves from which locations around the world will be combined,
will they have been grown in nitrogen rich or poor soils, are they to be heated, pressed, steamed, fire cured, etc ... the way it is processed, fermented and cured plays a HUGE role.
By the time pipe tobacco hits the shelves the pH may be on the acidic side but the nicotine content
itself is relatively high. This is due to the way it's processed.
From another recent study, it was interesting to note the actual average pH and nicotine content:
Pipe tobacco presents the lowest observed pH 4.7-4.9, while nicotine content averaged around 17 mg/g.
Cigars present pH levels between 6 and 7 while nicotine contents are low, between 7 and 12 mg/g.
So, with pipe tobacco, the amount of nicotine available is high.
The pH of cigars is more alkaline so the rate of absorption will be faster.
The next phase is when it enters your body. That starting pH is "out the window".
Nicotine will be broken down and metabolized at a starting body pH of around 7.4
FYI, nicotine accumulates in saliva ... do you spit or swallow? :wink:
Lastly, there are a multitude of factors that intervene at this point:
Physiological Influences - Diet & exercise ... smoke some Triple Play on an empty stomach!
Age, Gender, Race all influence absorption rates
Medications - both inducers and inhibitors exist (a common blood thinner, coumarin, is an inhibitor)
There's a lot to it and I find it pretty fascinating ... positively a three bowl topic! :puffpipe: