MadSci Network: General Biology
Query:

Re: what makes up vinigar and juice straight from a lemon?

Date: Thu Dec 5 09:29:55 2002
Posted By: Greta Hardin, Secondary School Teacher, Science
Area of science: General Biology
ID: 1039052921.Gb
Message:

I'm afraid I cannot tell you all the ingredients in vinegar or lemon juice.  
Both are 
complex organic solutions with lots of stuff in them.  What I CAN tell you are 
the 
active ingredients in each that are of interest as stain fighters:  
Vinegar is primarily acetic acid [CH3COOH]  If you are using distilled white 
vinegar 
- it is almost entirely acetic acid and water.   That would be my choice as a 
vinegar 
stain remover as other vinegars might contain things that will stain (for 
instance 
basalmic vinegar contains tannins that stain quite well - among other things, 
they 
are used for tanning leather).  Oh and vinegar that you buy in the store is 
always 
5% acid.
Lemon Juice's primary stain fighting ingredient is citric acid 
[HOOCCH2C(OH)(COOH)CH2COOH H2O].   Lemons are quite a higher in acid - 
30% - 45% citric acid depending on the variety.  However, this doesn't mean that 
lemons will be automatically better.

I'd watch carefully watch as to what kinds of stains do what with which acid.

Good Luck - and check your spelling before you turn in your report!

Greta



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