Re: What else is there to drink?

From: privacy.at Anonymous Remailer (mixmaster_at_remailer.privacy.at)
Date: 07/11/04 

Date: Sun, 11 Jul 2004 15:41:32 +0200 (CEST)

Steve Turner (from sci.chem) posted:

> >> Persumably, you mean things that are not substantially water such as
> >> phosphoric acid (Coke; Pepsi), acetic acid (vinegar), etc.
> >
> >Speaking of which, would it be possible to consume large quantities of
> > pure
> >acetic acid? Upon hearing that Jesus was given vinegar on the cross, I
> >tried a bit myself, but was repulsed after a few sips.
>
> It should be noted that acetic acid and phosphoric acid are NOT
> "mostly water," as the top statement above seems to imply. They are
> substances in their own right. I don't think it would be possible to
> drink much of either in the pure state. Pure acetic acid is quite
> pungent. Vinegar is only a 5% solution of acetic acid in water.

Please pardon my usenet shorthand / grammatical lapse (as
originally posted to sci.chem where people would know what I meant):

"Presumably, you mean things that are not substantially water
such as phosphoric acid (WHICH IS FOUND IN AQUEOUS Coke or Pepsi
ALONG WITH SUGAR AND OTHER FLAVORINGS), acetic acid (WHICH IS
FOUND IN AQUEOUS vinegar TO THE EXTENT OF 5% OR SO), etc."

I was trying to exlude trivial items found in water based foods:
"NaCl!! 3600 mg in a can of Campbell's Soup!" or "Citric acid!!
in orange juice."

Jordan Abel (from a.f.c-a) posted:

> My understanding is that most acids are solutions in water, and,
> if the water were removed, would yield a solid (which would
> obviously be quite corrosive to e.g. skin due to moisture
> "reactivating" it)
>
> Are there any acids whose anhydrous forms are liquid over a
> significant portion of the range of temperatures in which water is?

For the two examples given, your understanding is incorrect.
Phosphoric acid can be had as a solution in water. As the water
is removed, the phosphoric acid thickens and becomes very viscous
but does not solidify. It likely forms polyphosphoric acid or
phosphoric anhydride and can be found in "naval jelly". I don't
know if anyone has ever made pure, monomeric H3PO4 in the liquid
or solid state.

Anhydrous acetic acid ("glacial acetic acid", as used in photography)
is a non-viscous liquid. It is a corrosive lachrymator.

Hydrochloric acid in water is hardware store muriatic acid, ca.
30%. Anhydrous HCl is a GAS, not a solid. It is corrosive and
deadly. HBr is also a gas. HF is also a gas.

Aqueous sulfuric acid is a component of acid rain. Anhydrous
H2SO4 is a syrupy liquid, not a solid.

There are many non-aqueous acids (organic compounds that are
acidic) that are liquids at or near room temperature. Phenol
(liquid on a hot day) is pretty nasty. Acetic, propionic,
butyric ... I wouldn't want to drink ANY of them.

There are plenty of pure acids that are solids (benzoic acid).
There are other acids that may be polymeric when pure and solid:
boric acid, tungstic acid, silicic acid (monomeric in solution
only), ...