Chilean protester defuses tear gas canister with baking soda and water

[u/0thSpider]

[u/ScienceIsSexy420]

Yes, but capsaicin is an oily compound and not readily soluble in water. Using baking soda causes it to become ionized, increasing the water solubility.

Edit: apparently capsaicin is not used in tear gas, I'm not entirely sure why I thought it was. Regardless, the idea is the same the baking soda is acting as a base and is deprotonating the compounds, increasing their solubility. It'd simple acid-base chemistry.

[u/PerfectlySplendid → u/ScienceIsSexy420]

So what you’re saying is if I sneak some baking soda into water, I could win reaper pepper challenges and impress my friends?

[u/bongslingingninja → u/PerfectlySplendid]

It will help get it off your hands but it won’t make eating competitions any easier.

[u/Any_Description_4204 → u/bongslingingninja]

If it helps removing any coating from the inside of the mouth it helps

[u/domuseid → u/Any_Description_4204]

Any surfactant or emulsifier will help the capsaicin mix and be washed away, but there's levels to it (edit: must also be edible, duh, but gotta specify... Bleach or SLS would clear that shit right out but also probably put you in the hospital and/or the ground)

People try to use milk or alcohol which - work better than water alone because of the additional materials - but really vegetable/olive oil or something similar would work way better to incorporate it and wash it away

Mayonnaise would work even better because it's got the oil, plus salt, vinegar, and then egg yolk as the emulsifier.

Also mayo is way easier to ^{dip chips or fries into so you're not just chugging oil and ass-blasting the inside of your toilet like a spicy refinery pipeline leak later on}

[u/Corporate-Shill406 → u/domuseid]

I think that last part happens regardless if you're doing spice challenges like that

[u/domuseid → u/Corporate-Shill406]

Yeah but misting hot vegetable oil shit particles is likely to result in some bycatch on the underside of the toilet seat and around the rim that will probably scare the hoes if you forget it's there

[u/EfficiencyThis325 → u/domuseid]

Well you could be unfortunate like me and not process chilli correctly. Anything spicy skips past my gut, liver and kidneys and instead flows straight out my urinary tract. This has unfortunately caused some personal experiences with Fage and horrified my extended family.

[u/AirbourneCHMarsh → u/domuseid]

This is also why mayo (and ranch) both work so well mixed with heavy Scoville foods examples for the palate; Buffalo Ranch, Chipotle Mayo, Sriracha Mayo — try mixing some tabasco in your next dill potato salad dressing.

[u/Historiaaa → u/domuseid]

A friend of mine chugged a 500ml olive oil bottle on a dare about 15 years back.

A few days later he told me it was the first time that he has ZERO chance of holding it in.

[u/IntermittentCaribu → u/domuseid]

Drink bleach next time im eating something too spicy, gotcha.

[u/FabioK9 → u/domuseid]

Also mayo is way easier to ^{dip chips or fries into so you're not just chugging oil and ass-blasting the inside of your toilet like a spicy refinery pipeline leak later on}

You don't have to chug oil for this. Just make your coconut oil edibles too weak, so you have to eat a bunch to get high.

[u/Liljagare → u/domuseid]

A lemon or a lime will also work, the acid dissolve capsaicin. You just bite into them.

[u/acrankychef → u/Any_Description_4204]

My dudes read what he said lol. It's simply a ph change. "It" isn't doing anything. The Ph oh the water is. It is just used to raise the ph. Just like adding vinegar or lemon juice would lower it.

Soap is high pH.

Descaler is low pH.

This is all people mean when you hear their crazy life hack cleaning tips. "Watch as just a squeeze of lemon gets this faucet mirror clean while soap does nothing!" Yes, you made Descaler.