Bleach is acidic, not alkaline. It is alkalis like sodium or potassium hydroxide that cause saponification. Getting a strong alkali like oven or drain cleaner on your hands turns the oils and fats in your skin to soap, so it feels slippery. Rich Stevens http://mysite.verizon.net/rstevens15 Photo Trend Enterprises- A Restaurant Service Company "Start off every day with a smile and get it over with." - W.C. Fields -----Original Message----- From: owner-chile-heads@globalgarden.com [mailto:owner-chile-heads@globalgarden.com] On Behalf Of bluezinnia@kyananet.com Sent: Thursday, October 02, 2008 1:02 AM To: chile-heads@globalgarden.com Subject: [CH] the bleach cure >Dr. Tom Mabry of the Department of Botany, University of Texas at Austin, suggested that the >alkaline bleach ionizes the phenolic hydroxyl group in the active ingredients, all of which are >phenolic amides (e.g., dihydrocapciacin), making the compounds water soluble; at the same time, >the ionized phenolic ring in each ccompound would be readily oxidized by the bleach, thereby >altering the structures and properties of the compounds . I was always taught that bleach works because it saponifies. . .essentially, turns to soap, which would account for the slippery feel. . .a thin surface layer of skin cells, which then wash off easily, taking the problematical compounds with them. Could Dr. Mabry be overcomplicating things because he's never made homemade soap as Solstice presents, or was my source (a chemist) full of caca? Keep on rockin', Rain @@@@ \ \ \ \ \ \\