MadSci Network: General Biology
Query:

Re: Acid in the stomach

Date: Wed Nov 30 12:45:49 2005
Posted By: Thomas M. Greiner, Assistant Professor of Anatomy
Area of science: General Biology
ID: 1132665906.Gb
Message:

A question about experimenting with stomach acid.

You are correct that the stomach produces hydrochloric acid as part of 
the digestion process. Although you say that you want to do an experiment 
with hydrochloric acid, you don’t say what kind of experiment you have in 
mind. 

How dangerous is hydrochloric acid? Very. Can you dilute the acid enough 
so that it is no longer as dangerous? Yes, but you would still be 
starting with the dangerous stuff. Would the diluted acid still work for 
your experiment? I don’t know, since I don’t know what kind of experiment 
you want to do. 

I can tell you that, as far as digestion goes, enzymes are more important 
than acids. You can get several types of enzymes to easily, and safely, 
use for your experiment. Certain types of meat tenderizers and laundry 
detergents (the ones that specialize in removing blood or grass stains) 
contain enzymes. If you really want to experiment with acids, may I 
suggest lemon juice, vinegar, or even soda pop (which can be a very 
strong acid). All of these can be purchased in your local grocery store. 
They are all a lot safer to use than hydrochloric acid. And, in the long 
run, they may actually be more useful in your experiments.



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