Division of Biochemistry and Plant Physiology, Central Tobacco Research Institute, Rajahmundry-533 106 Tobacco Laboratory, Science and Education Administration/Agricultural Research, United States Department of Agriculture, P. 0. Box No. 5677, Athens, Georgia 30604 Manuscript received 27 November 1986, revised 31 August 1988, accepted 13 September 2988 Lanka tobacco and its smoke are shown to contain C25-C36 n-alkanes, C27-C35 isoalkanes and C28-C34 anteisoalkanes. Other major components are solanesol, higher fatty acids, \(\alpha\)-4,8,13-duvatriene-1,3-diol, neophytadiene and fatty alcohols. The minor terpenes found are phytol, squalene, cycloartenol, 24-methylene cycloartanol and \(\beta\)-amyrin. The leaf and smoke contain the major sterols (cholesterol, campesterol, stigmasterol and \(\beta\)-sitosterol) along with fucosterol which is reported in tobacco for the first time. The transfer rates of these lipid components from leaf to smoke are also reported.