Abstract: Agrotransformation of tobacco leaves into cigarettes and cigars spawns upto 75% wastes which is an environmental and public nuisance owing to its noxious 0.6-3% (w/w) 3-(1-methyl-2-pyrrolindyl) pyridine (MPP) content. Considerately, this volumetric agrowaste is a prodigal loss during tobacco processing. Consequently, the utilization of these frugal wastes as a substrate for pyridine-3-carboxylic acid (PCA) synthesis is a green strategy to obliterate the ecological backlashes of tobacco waste. This concerted study reported the feasibility of utilizing Flue-Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco waste as a starting substrate for synthesis of pyridine-3-carboxylic acid through MPP as a synthetic intermediate. The intermediate was extracted from powdered FCV wastes using petroleum ether and subsequently oxidized to PCA using 69% concentrated Nitric acid of volumes: 120, 115, 110,105, 100, 95, 90 and 85ml at 87±2°C. The results of the bench scale experiments indicated that the yield of PCA increases with increase in the volume of hot nitric acid; a maximum yield of 25ml was obtained with 100ml of hot nitric acid. The lowest yield of 17ml was from 85ml of hot nitric acid. MPP had a statistical mean boiling point of 249.3±2.082°C, mean density of 1.024±0.006g/cm3 whereas PCA had a mean boiling point of 262±3°C, mean density of 1.505843±0.05503g/cm3, mean pH of 3.3±0.19 and a computed mean solubility of 1.5±0.017g/L. The study has shown that FCV tobacco leaf wastes is a green environmental substrate for organic synthesis of pyridine-3-carboxylic acid.Abstract: Agrotransformation of tobacco leaves into cigarettes and cigars spawns upto 75% wastes which is an environmental and public nuisance owing to its noxious 0.6-3% (w/w) 3-(1-methyl-2-pyrrolindyl) pyridine (MPP) content. Considerately, this volumetric agrowaste is a prodigal loss during tobacco processing. Consequently, the utilization of these frugal...Show More
