How long does nicotine last when bound with water?

Question

Apparently soaking tobacco in water extracts the nicotine. How long does the nicotine last before it starts decomposing?

Answer 1

The four nicotine-alkaloids exist in combination in tobacco chiefly as malates and citrates. If you only soak the leaves with water you`ll extract these stable (!) salts.

If you want to extract the free base nicotine you have to treat the aqueous extract of tobacco by distillation with slaked lime, the distillate being acidified with oxalic acid, concentrated to a syrup and decomposed by potash. The free base is extracted by ether and fractionated in a current of hydrogen.

This free base is very hygroscopic, dissolves readily in water, and rapidly undergoes oxidation on exposure to air.

The only published half-life period of nicotine is 40-60 minutes for decomposition in human bodies.