A process is provided for the selective removal of basic materials from plant products, in particular, for removing nicotine from tobacco without materially affecting the content of the other components of the tobacco. Tobacco is. traversed with a solvent in the supercritical state or in the liquid state wherein nicotine and the other components dissolve in the solvent. The solvent is then passed through an acid-containing trap where the solvent is essentially freed of nicotine. The solvent, depleted of nicotine and enriched in the other components, is then recycled to the tobacco to reextract nicotine. In addition, the tobacco may be pretreated with a chemical base which does not substantially react withe the tobacco components under ambient conditions but rather is activated under the conditions of the extraction process. Pretreatment of the tobacco with a chemical base neutralizes nicotine salts and permits the extraction process to be carried out under milder conditions.
                            本发明提供了一种从植物产品中选择性去除基本物质的工艺,特别是在不对烟草中其他成分的含量产生实质性影响的情况下去除烟草中的
尼古丁。烟草在超临界状态或液态下与溶剂混合,
尼古丁和其他成分溶解在溶剂中。然后,溶剂通过一个含酸的捕集器,溶剂中的
尼古丁基本上被释放出来。然后,去掉
尼古丁、富含其他成分的溶剂被回收到烟草中,重新提取
尼古丁。此外,还可以用一种
化学碱对烟草进行预处理,这种
化学碱在环境条件下不会与烟草成分发生实质性反应,而是在萃取工艺条件下被激活。用
化学碱对烟草进行预处理,可以中和
烟碱盐,使萃取过程在较温和的条件下进行。