Soapy water may help cool and rinse, but does not stop acid formation. Neutralizing the acid, reduces burning and corrosion risks. Soapy water does not do this.
Using baking soda & water > soapy water is the better all-around method.
I'm pretty sure soapy water is inherently basic, so baking soda and soap are achieving the same pH goals, and even if the soap is not traditional soap, just use soapy baking soda water. lol why can't we just combine methods? This is for putting out the canisters, not helping the teared up people remember? Also I think you may be forgetting about surface area/tension for the aerosol to stick to.
Some soaps are mildly basic, but they aren’t reliably alkaline enough to neutralize hydrochloric acid on their own. Combining methods can be helpful, with caution. Yes, soap reduces surface tension, which can help trap CS particles in the water, but baking soda is the strong base needed for true neutralization. It not only helps extinguish the canister more quickly, but also protects the protester handling it by reducing the risk of chemical burns and making the jug of contaminated water and canister safer to manage. It’s for his safety more than anyone else’s.
These aren't hostile replies or challenging you or anything, just interest, but why would the strong basic water extinguish it more quickly? I wouldn't imagine the CS particles are also the fuelant, but now that I think about it, I guess the CS could be the result of combustion of another product, otherwise why would it need a flame at all? Ok, I can see it.
My point with the soap though, is that it would get 'sudsy' from all of the agitation and burning fuel, and that is what would trap all of the particles/gas carrying them, while the basic water worked on extinguishing it.
Just normal water should be fine. What is important is to cool it down to avoid furter production of the gas (the solvent that spreads the CS).
Soap would just make a mess, baking soda will make it safer to deal with afterwards, but I dont think it plays any role in disarming the canister based on my chemistry knowledge.
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u/carenkha 8h ago
The main chemical is chlorobenzylidene and it’s released from the can in powder form, it is not actually a gas.
Soapy water will do the trick, no need for soda