pH of Coca Cola
Terry Ludwig
One can of cool, bubbly Coca-Cola was analyzed today with the following
result.....
pH = 2.73
Not as bad as the "pH=1" rumor reported here last week, but not exactly
comforting either. The general consensus is that the Carbolic Acid
isn't the pH-lowering culprit. The Phosphoric Acid is.
FYI, the EPA considers any waste with a pH=2.0 or less to automatically be
classified as a Hazardous Substance due to Corrosivity. So I guess empty coke
cans didn't miss being a major environmental problem by all that much.
Two questions. 1.) What is the pH of the stomach acid? I'll bet it is
<2.7, but just how much lower?
2.) What does ingesting this "acid" do to your mouth and esophagus as it
travels to that acid-dump stomach?
Terry L.
Michael Richmann
Terry Ludwig wrote:
>
> One can of cool, bubbly Coca-Cola was analyzed today with the following
> result.....
>
> pH = 2.73
>
> Not as bad as the "pH=1" rumor reported here last week, but not exactly
> comforting either. The general consensus is that the Carbolic Acid
> isn't the pH-lowering culprit. The Phosphoric Acid is.
>
> FYI, the EPA considers any waste with a pH=2.0 or less to automatically be
> classified as a Hazardous Substance due to Corrosivity. So I guess empty coke
> cans didn't miss being a major environmental problem by all that much.
It's still about 1 pH unit and that's enough. Keep in mind that
the EPA has fudged their bets in terms of the setpoint for corrosivity
classification...
>
> Two questions. 1.) What is the pH of the stomach acid? I'll bet it is
> <2.7, but just how much lower?
Roughly pH ~ 1.5-2.0
> 2.) What does ingesting this "acid" do to your mouth and esophagus as it
> travels to that acid-dump stomach?
Nothing good but I'd contend, as a major drinker of the stuff, that
other environmental factors, such as tooth grinding in your sleep for
example, are considerably more significant than the acidity effects
from drinking Coke, especially if you take proper care of your teeth
and don't allow plaque buildup.
Mike
My opinions, not Argonne's...
Trevor Calder
A nice person called Terry Ludwig (who can be contacted at
ter...@netzone.com) told all the world the following....
> One can of cool, bubbly Coca-Cola was analyzed today with the
following
>result.....
> pH = 2.73
> Not as bad as the "pH=1" rumor reported here last week, but not
exactly
>comforting either. The general consensus is that the Carbolic Acid
>isn't the pH-lowering culprit. The Phosphoric Acid is.
Carbolic acid? No wonder it tastes like it does:)
> Two questions. 1.) What is the pH of the stomach acid? I'll bet it
>is <2.7, but just how much lower?
It's around pH 1 - but this varies depending on how much hydrochloric acid
your stomach is excreting.
> 2.) What does ingesting this "acid" do to your mouth and esophagus as
>it travels to that acid-dump stomach?
Pour some Coke onto a mild steel plate - that should give you some
idea.........
--------------------------------------------------------------
Trevor
--------------------------------------------------------------
"His smile should charm little children, his anger should make a tiger
tremble. This is a true martial artist."
generic
>
> Pour some Coke onto a mild steel plate - that should give you some
> idea.........
>
>
a propane torch, does this mean that it's safe to do the same to my
mouth or esophagus? :)
Frank
Tim Blackmore
Well, I suppose that it would depend on your boiling point. Your vapor
pressure may come into play as well.