Un-Scientific PH test.

[RRK]

Did you check the pH of the water before adding the snus and then testing? That may have an affect on it. You'd be suprised by the pH of some waters you buy, it's a fun experiment, test the next dasani you get.

I used distilled water which is supposed to be neutral. I keep some around for my humidor.

Justin, where do you get sodium carbonate? Is there a more common name for it?

[chadizzy1]

natron, crystal carbonate, "sal soda"....those are some common names you could look for it under.

[RRK]

natron, crystal carbonate, "sal soda"....those are some common names you could look for it under.

Do you guys know if all of these forms are food grade or should we use find the E500?

[chadizzy1]

Granular sodium carbonate is food grade.

Or you can look for pure "washing soda", which is sodium carbonate.

[RRK]

Granular sodium carbonate is food grade.

Or you can look for pure "washing soda", which is sodium carbonate.

Cool.

[justintempler]

Justin, where do you get sodium carbonate? Is there a more common name for it?

Washing soda is sodium carbonate but it is not food grade, it's technical grade at best. It can have perfumes in it.

The easiest way to get food grade sodium carbonate is to make your own from our old friend baking soda. When you heat baking soda it gives off carbon dioxide and water. Those carbon dioxide bubbles are why it is used in food recipes to make dough rise. Sodium bicarbonate becomes sodium carbonate after it has been baked in an oven.

http://www.apug.org/forums/archive/i...p/t-28341.html

When heated sodium bicarbonate is converted to sodium carbonate and carbon dioxide gas. Why would you want to do this? To obtain a very pure form of sodium carbonate since the baking soda that you start with is USP grade. Arm & Hammer washing soda and the various pool products used to adjust pH are the technical grade. Another reason, sometimes one cannot obtain sodium carbonate but baking soda is readily available everywhere.

The reaction is 2NaHCO3 --> Na2CO3 + H2O + CO2 and 2 moles of sodium bicarbonate (2 x 84 g) will produce 1 mole of sodium carbonate (106 g) or 1 lb of baking soda will produce 10 oz of sodium carbonate. The fine crystalline powder of the baking soda will become a very light fluffy powder which is the anhydrous sodium carbonate.

http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/f5...oda-93757.html

Guys 300F for one hour will not do it all the time.

You need to preheat the oven to 400F and it's two hours. Just spread it thin on a pyrex baking dish.

I showed Randy this when he was telling everyone to buy Washing Soda. People could not find Washing Soda without perfume in it and were shipping it all over the country to each other. I told him there was no reason to tell people to do all that when they can just make it.

Photographers that work with film do this all the time. It's what they need to fix their film when they are developing it.

Make yourself up a batch and store it in an airtight jar.

[justintempler]

I'll pass this image along too. It came from one of the pdfs showing the effects pH has on free nicotine.

[RRK]

I'll pass this image along too. It came from one of the pdfs showing the effects pH has on free nicotine.

The effects are dramatic.

Also 400 degrees for 2 hours seems like a much easier way to get sodium carbonate.

So I guess you make a water solution to add it to your snus?

[justintempler]

So I guess you make a water solution to add it to your snus?

I want you to think about this...
You just spent 2 hours in the oven to remove the water and CO2.

http://www.swedishmatch.com/en/Snus-...m-seed-to-can/

..Sodium carbonate is used to give the products their characteristic flavour profile but also brings the pH value to the slightly alkaline side. Sodium carbonate will convert to baking soda immediately after it is added....

You want the sodium carbonate to react with the moisture and acid that is already in the snus mixture. If you make a water solution with sodium carbonate you're back to baking soda. They add dry sodium carbonate.

They use ethanol with their essential oil flavourings. The ethanol evaporates away leaving just the flavor.

[RRK]

So I guess you make a water solution to add it to your snus?

I want you to think about this...
You just spent 2 hours in the oven to remove the water and CO2.

http://www.swedishmatch.com/en/Snus-...m-seed-to-can/

..Sodium carbonate is used to give the products their characteristic flavour profile but also brings the pH value to the slightly alkaline side. Sodium carbonate will convert to baking soda immediately after it is added....

You want the sodium carbonate to react with the moisture and acid that is already in the snus mixture. If you make a water solution with sodium carbonate you're back to baking soda. They add dry sodium carbonate.

They use ethanol with their essential oil flavourings. The ethanol evaporates away leaving just the flavor.

Oh well then I think I will be working in batches that are too small to be combined with pure sodium carbonate I will be flavoring just a few portions at a time or maybe 1/4 can of los. I believe I need a liquid solution.

I do see that they regularly make solutions of water and sodium carbonate.

pH:
At 25C, the pH of 1, 5 and 10 wt% sodium carbonate solutions are 11.37, 11.58 and 11.70, respectively At 22.7C a 20 wt% sodium carbonate is ph 11.5

When the sodium carbonate converts back to sodium bicarbonate doesn't it raise the ph of the water?