Ya know that scene in Fight Club where Brad Pitt licks his lips, smacks them together and plants a nice one upon Edward Norton's hand? Afterward Mr. Pitt liberally dusts a fine white powder atop the new kiss which sends Mr. Norton into a writhing pain? If you don't, care if I remind you?
Lye! Fantastic lye, also known as sodium hydroxide or NaOH mixed with a little saliva are the agents of this excruciating chemical burn. If you've seen Fight Club you're aware lye is often an ingredient used in soap making and in the manufacturing of paper products and whatnot. Yesterday I had the pleasure of mixing up a solution of sodium hydroxide to act as a buffer and decrease the pH of another solution. I accurately measured out solid chips of NaOH with still hands comparable to a surgeons. I then added the chips to a beaker containing the corresponding amount of water to make a 4 normal sodium hydroxide solution. This beaker, with stirring rod in tow, was carefully placed on a hot plate to ensure proper mixing. As the NaOH pellets interact with the water, heat can be seen dissipating from the beaker (the same kind of heat plundering Ed's hand). No wonder another name for sodium hydroxide is "caustic soda".
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