Microencapsulated alkaloidal material and method of producing same

Claim 1

An alkaloid-containing microcapsule which comprises a core material carrying an alkaloidal material and a wall of a cross-linked, film-forming, water-impermeable polymeric material surrounding said core material wherein said core material includes a physiologically acceptable acid capable of forming an acid addition salt of the alkaloidal material, said capsule core material including an amount of said acid in excess of the stoichiometric amount necessary to form the acid addition salt, the alkaloidal material being in the form of a water-soluble acid addition salt of said acid.

Claim 29

A method of producing alkaloidal material-containing microcapsules which comprises: (1) intermixing, inter alia, (a) a film-forming, water-impermeable polymeric wall material, (b) a water-immiscible liquid vehicle capable of dissolving the polymeric wall material, and (c) an aqueous vehicle carrying an acid addition salt of a tobacco alkaloid and a physiologically acceptable acid, said acid addition salt being substantially insoluble in said liquid vehicle, said capsule core material including an amount of said acid in excess of the stoichiometric amount necessary to form said acid addition salt, said aqueous vehicle being capable of dispersion in said liquid vehicle as a plurality of individual, minute core material entities; (2) agitating the produced admixture to disperse the alkaloidal material-carrying aqueous vehicle as individual, minute core material entities throughout the liquid vehicle having said polymeric wall material dissolved therein to form an agitated system in which the liquid vehicle constitutes a continuous phase; (3) inducing phase separation within said agitated system to separate said polymeric wall material from said continuous phase and thereby forming sheaths of said polymeric wall material about said core material entities containing said alkaloidal material; and (4) cross-linking said polymeric wall material in the sheaths to form protective walls around said core material entities.

Claim 30

A method of producing alkaloidal material-containing microcapsules which comprises: (1) intermixing, inter alia, (a) a film-forming, water-impermeable polymeric wall material, (b) a water-immiscible liquid vehicle capable of dissolving the polymeric wall material, and (c) an aqueous vehicle carrying an acid addition salt of a tobacco alkaloid and a physiologically acceptable acid, said acid addition salt being substantially insoluble in said liquid vehicle, said capsule core material including an amount of said acid in excess of the stoichiometric amount necessary to form said acid addition salt, said aqueous vehicle being capable of dispersion in said liquid vehicle as a plurality of individual, minute core material entities; (2) agitating the produced admixture to disperse the alkaloidal material-carrying aqueous vehicle as individual, minute core material entities throughout the liquid vehicle having said polymeric wall material dissolved therein to form an agitated system in which the liquid vehicle constitutes a continuous phase; (3) inducing phase separation within said agitated system to separate said polymeric wall material from said continuous phase and thereby forming sheaths of said polymeric wall material about said core material entities containing said alkaloidal material; and (4) cross-linking said polymeric wall material in the sheaths to form protective walls around said core material entities.

Claim 40

A method of producing tobacco alkaloid-containing microcapsules which comprises the steps of (1) dissolving partially hydrolyzed ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer in toluene at an elevated dissolution temperature, (2) cooling the produced copolymer solution to a dispersion temperature that is lower than said dissolution temperature, (3) dispersing an aqueous solution of an acid addition salt of nicotine, and a stoichiometric excess of the acid in free form, in the produced copolymer solution with agitation to produce minute core material entities of said aqueous solution, (4) cooling the produced dispersion to a phase separation temperature and admixing therewith a phase separation-inducing material while the dispersion is agitated with severity sufficient to maintain the produced dispersion, the amount of the phase separation-inducing material admixed being sufficient to cause the formation of sheaths of said copolymer about said core material entities, and (5) cross-linking the formed sheaths.

Claim 41

A method of producing tobacco alkaloid-containing microcapsules which comprises the steps of (1) dissolving partially hydrolyzed ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer in toluene at an elevated dissolution temperature, (2) cooling the produced copolymer solution to a dispersion temperature that is lower than said dissolution temperature, (3) dispersing an aqueous solution of an acid addition salt of nicotine, and a stoichiometric excess of the acid in free form, in the produced copolymer solution with agitation to produce minute core material entities of said aqueous solution, (4) cooling the produced dispersion to a phase separation temperature and admixing therewith a phase separation-inducing material while the dispersion is agitated with severity sufficient to maintain the produced dispersion, the amount of the phase separation-inducing material admixed being sufficient to cause the formation of sheaths of said copolymer about said core material entities, and (5) cross-linking the formed sheaths.