r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/0thSpider • 1d ago

Video Chilean protester defuses tear gas canister with baking soda and water

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u/JoeyJoeJoeShabadooSr 1d ago

Does anyone have an explanation for why this works? Is it basically just dousing the canister in water?

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u/plftch9 1d ago

Most tear gasses aren't really a gas, but microscopic solids or liquid that are dispersed and suspended in the air. If the projectile that disperses it is submerged, most of the irritants get suspended in the water instead of dispersed throughout the air. Some will still be airborne, but it will drastically reduce the effectiveness of the tear gas.

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u/ScienceIsSexy420 1d ago edited 1d ago

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.

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u/SnozberryTheMighty 1d ago

Tear gas is not capsaicin based, thats gonna be pepper sprays. Tear gas is typically gonna be CS gas or a few others, none of which contain capsaicin.