Pee and Alcohol + Science
So I've read two funny studies today. One about sweetened swimming pools and other on why the taste of whiskey changes by putting in some water (even ice)
The common subject in both of them is how our sense of smells is quite more telling than we might think but we are not trained to use it properly.
First, is Pee. That classic almost nostalgic smell after they clean swimming pools by adding some chlorine. Is actually the result of the reaction from the urea in your pee with chlorine (most of it, there's some urea in your sweat)
The more smelly the pool the more pee.
In fact, chlorine at the normal dilution used in swimming pools is normally not toxic. The irritation in your skin and eyes, as well as the change in the texture of your hair, comes from Nitrogen Trichloride that is toxic. The chemical compound can also be used as an explosive and as a lachrymatory agent. Quite the substance.
The study, "Sweetened Swimming Pools and Hot Tubs" used acesulfame potassium, a common almost ubiquitous artificial sweetener that goes unchanged since you eat it till you pee it, as a marker for the content of pee in a pool.
The result. A lot of pee in swimming pools are the norm. You disgusting pieces of shit
Gallons of pee. Geez. That's why you oughta take a shower before and after.
Now you know. If it smells like clean is not precisely clean (yet sterile).
The other was "Dilution of whiskey – the molecular perspective"
To make a long story short, is due mainly because of Guaiacol a type of phenol that comes from the oak casks. Not from the malt itself.
The interaction is complex but by diluting a whiskey from 45% to 27% you increase the surface density by close to one third. The idea is getting the concentration close to 20% where the magic ratio appears.
(if you know what I mean)
The image above illustrates just how complex the interactions are. Yet even a single drop of water is enough to alter the flavor if it alters this harmony.
When you dilute the whiskey with water you increase the relative density of Guaiacol. This may sound as a chauvinistic remark but if you dilute your whiskey, you most likely like the taste and smell of wood. wink.
I had to stop drinking whiskey. It wasn't from having a lot either. I would drink one shot worth in apple juice. Then I would feel like I had been poisoned... immediately. I'm not sure what it was, but I tried different brands, etc. They all had the same effect. Maybe it is the gluten? I'm not sure.
Is there any truth to the idea that wood alcohol gets into the whiskey from it aging in wooden barrels? The wood alcohol is poison of course and very bad for us to consume. I've not seen conclusive evidence confirming or denying whether it is a genuine problem with wood aged alcohol though.
No, methanol and other sources of "Wood alcohols" don't get into the whiskey at a significant amount. Some aromatic compounds start to form after many years of slow reaction, mainly phenols.
You could have low levels of alcohol dehydrogenase, like most east Asians that get flush because of it and actually suffer intoxication at low levels of alcohol in blood. Or it could be related to hypoglycemia due to insulin resistance, the more common reason among western people.
"You disgusting pieces of shit" lololol
Even Michael Phelps recognized he does it all the time. Urinotherapy is just f'd up.
This gem of a post was discovered by the OCD Team!
Reply to this comment if you accept, and are willing to let us promote your gem of a post!
If you accept this, you'll be nominated and the members of the OCD team will vote on whether we'll feature your post in our next compilation post.
You can follow @ocd – learn more about the project and see other Gems! We strive for transparency.
I'm mostly curating in #science and am always glad to see quality posts like yours peeking out between the garbage and plagiarism!
Sure, feel free to use it. If anyone finds value in it sharing is a pleasure.