Preparation of Extracts Extracts are made by drawing cigarete smoke through a solvent such as water or alcohol. The cigarette is placed in the rubber tube at the top of the flask. The side arm of the flask is attached to a vacuum pump. This pulls air out of the flask and draws air through the cigarette and its filter. The air then passes into the liquid in the flask where soluable components of the smoke dissolve. Click here to view a video of the extraction process. Different concentrations of the smoke extract can be made using serial dilutions.