Abstract: In this article some latest research progresses in adsorption and catalytic degradation of nitrosamines by use of zeolites and mesoporous molecular sieves are reviewed, along with the oversea and domestic development of microanalysis of nitrosamines. Nitrosamines in tobacco smoke are strong carcinogenic compounds inducing cancer for smoking, so zeolite is recently employed, as additive to eliminate nitrosamines in smoke, to protect environment and public health. The selective adsorption of nitrosamines on zeolite, especially the inserting adsorption model of bulky nitrosamines on the zeolites with small pore size is introduced in this review. For the selective adsorption by zeolite of the volatile nitrosamines in gaseous phase or solution, some factors and their influences on the adsorption are briefly discussed. The high activity of mesoporous molecular sieves in catalytic degradation of tobacco specific nitrosamines is also presented and attributed to their large pore sizes. Moreover, the modifications of zeolite with metal oxides such as copper oxide are introduced, which significantly promote the selectively adsorption of volatile nitrosamines, and are beneficial for removal of the nitrosamines in smoke of cigarette. Finally, the development of new functional materials to eliminate the pollution of nitrosamines is prospected.

Key words: Zeolite, Mesoporous molecular sieves, Nitrosamines carcinogenic compounds, Selective adsorption, Catalytic degradation, Environmental protection