Conversion of Nicotine to Nicotinamide

 The conversion of nicotine to nicotinamide involves oxidation followed by hydrolysis. Here's a stepwise explanation of the process:

1. Oxidation of Nicotine to Nicotinic Acid (Niacin)

• Nicotine (C₁₀H₁₄N₂), an alkaloid, undergoes oxidation to form nicotinic acid (C₆H₅NO₂), also known as niacin.
• In this step, the methylated nitrogen in the pyrrolidine ring of nicotine is removed, and the pyridine ring is oxidized to form a carboxylic acid group at position 3 of the pyridine ring.

Reaction:

$$\text{C₁₀H₁₄N₂ (Nicotine)}+\text{O₂ (Oxidizing agent)}\to \text{C₆H₅NO₂ (Nicotinic acid)}$$

This oxidation can be achieved using various oxidizing agents, such as potassium permanganate (KMnO₄), or biological processes.

2. Amidation to Nicotinamide

• Nicotinic acid undergoes a reaction called amidation to form nicotinamide (C₆H₆N₂O).
• In this process, the carboxyl group (-COOH) of nicotinic acid is converted into an amide group (-CONH₂), typically using ammonia (NH₃) or an amine.

Reaction:

$$\text{C₆H₅NO₂ (Nicotinic acid)}+\text{NH₃}\to \text{C₆H₆N₂O (Nicotinamide)}+\text{H₂O}$$

Thus, through oxidation and amidation, nicotine is converted to nicotinamide, an important compound that serves as a precursor to nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺), a coenzyme involved in metabolism.