It has been one of the most important topics in the vaping world for months now: Nicotine salts. Vapers are happy to hear that more and more liquid producers finally use nicotine salts instead of freebase nicotine. Now various brands offer flavors with both variants of nicotine. Vapers are happy about the current developments since users find nicotine salts to be more satisfying. But which one is the better? Where exactly are the differences? When does it make sense to switch to nicotine salt?
We have some answers for you and are going to give you some clarity.
The differences of freebase nicotine and salt nicotine
We don't want to get too scientific here, since the process of extracting freebase nicotine is quite complex. In its essence a chemical process frees the nicotine in its purest form while being combusted. That means that, whenever tobacco (the process was invented in the 60s and therefore only used in traditional cigarettes) is heated, the pure form of nicotine is freed and thus inhaled. Nicotine in its pure form is better able to travel through membranes and can therefore better take effect. Obviously, this makes it more potent and therefore more addicting - exactly what the industry wanted.
However, in its natural form inside the tobacco plant nicotine exists as a salt. Nicotine bonds with certain acids in the plant to create a much more stable molecule. When that bonding happens, the result is a nicotine salt. There are different types of nicotine salts, depending on the acid involved in the whole process. While in its natural state nicotine salts need higher temperatures to vaporize and cannot travel easily inside our body. However, with a little twist, using benzoic acid combined with nic salt, nicotine salt can be vaporized even more effectively. The ingredient helps nicotine salt to be vaporized a lower temperatures and makes it more absorbable at the same time. Creating an overall more enjoyable experience.
Courtesy of : https://medium.com/@HealthCabin/7-things-you-need-to-know-about-nicotine-salts-5a62f323d928
What's the benefit for you?
There are two main benefits from a vamping perspective. First, the liquid does not feel as harsh as liquid that uses freebase nicotine. The more you increase you're nicotine level, the harsher it feels to inhale. With the use of nicotine salts, due to its lower ph level, this effect does not hit you as hard. What that means is that you are going to be able to use higher nicotine concentrations. The vaping experience feels smoother and the throat hit will not be as harsh as with freebase nicotine. You can easily go as high as 50mg nicotine and have a pleasurable experience - something you can not enjoy with freebase nicotine.
Additionally, due to the higher concentration, nicotine salts lead to higher nicotine blood content in a shorter amount of time, triggering neurochemical reactions faster.
To summarize: the chemical composition of nicotine salt and freebase is different, which affects the way you experience your throat hit. Thus, liquid that uses nicotine salt will feel smoother and easier to smoke and makes your overall experience more pleasurable when used for higher dosages of nicotine.
