If aspartame was't invented as an ant-killer, it certainly works as one! Dust some ants with it and see what happens.
Why does my diet soda taste off? Aspartame hydrolysis
151–160 of 250 posts
Re: Why does my diet soda taste off? Aspartame hydrolysis
#152>Later, when he licked his fingers to turn a page, he discovered a very sweet taste. Since he realized that the compound he made was unlikely to be toxic, he tasted it and found it extremely sweet indeed. In fact, aspartame is about 200 times as sweet by weight as sugar. This is horrifying.
I guess lab safety wasn't what it is now. Serendipitous discovery, but it could've gone much worse.
Re: Why does my diet soda taste off? Aspartame hydrolysis
#153Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not sure if it's only the UK but we also use "up" and "down" as synonyms in some sitations. e.g. "I'm up for going to the pub" and "I'm down for going to the pub" mean the same thing
This is also true in the US, although I would add that being down for something connotes a tiny bit more enthusiasm than being up for it, since "down" is also used in the context of making a commitment, e.g. "put me down for two boxes" or "I'll mark you down as present."
The latter case is related more to 'writing something down [on paper]' than to a standard up/down usage that implies directionality.
Re: Why does my diet soda taste off? Aspartame hydrolysis
#154Earlier quoted context omitted.
>I was looking at the Wikipedia article on aspartame when I realized that there was a significant error on the page. The skeletal formula was correct but the ball-and-stick model was incorrect in that it had an extra hydrogen tacked onto the aspartic acid group—the NH2 was misrepresented as NH3. I am sure you meant well, but as far as I can see, the original ball-and-stick model was indeed correct--and the current ed…
What I didn't mention was that I double-checked in case I was going crazy, so I crosschecked on ChemSpider: https://www.chemspider.com/Chemical-Structure.118630.html - see 3D model (presumably it's also incorrect). I've yet to check Wiki as of today, so I don't know if the site has changed since last August or not. I will check momentarily. I acknowledge what you say and I'm not necessarily disputing your points. If…
IUPAC has nothing to do with it--aspartame is a trivial name. It's no mess, either--chemists know that 1M sulfuric acid does not contain any H2SO4, even though H2SO4 is sulfuric acid.
The skeletal and ball-and-stick structures differ precisely because they weren't created from the same source--the author of the ball-and-stick structure cites a crystallography paper as their source, and solid crystals consist of zwitter ions.
Re: Why does my diet soda taste off? Aspartame hydrolysis
#155Some time ago I could tell something was really off about the taste of my diet soda even though it was way before it's expiry date. I was able to find out some storage irregularities with the shop I was buying from and call CC on them. Turns out they were also doing a lot of stupid things like taking meat freezers out of socket overnight to reduce energy consumption.
What's CC? Health inspection?
coca-cola?
Re: Why does my diet soda taste off? Aspartame hydrolysis
#156Awesome! As someone who used to drink a lot of Diet Dr. Pepper (DDP) I could easily tell how close a given can (or bottle) was to its "use by" date. This makes for a great party trick [1] but otherwise has limited utility. It also made for some socially awkward situations where, when visiting friends, they would want to have drinks on hand that their guests like and would go out of their way to get some DDP for me, n…
Try https://sodastream.com . The soda can be sweetened with syrups they sell, or sweeten with anything you like, like Mangrove Honey which is salty and rich in itself. Add Scotch for a new drink called a "Southern Bee Sting". Squirt of lemon optional.
Re: Why does my diet soda taste off? Aspartame hydrolysis
#157Earlier quoted context omitted.
What I didn't mention was that I double-checked in case I was going crazy, so I crosschecked on ChemSpider: https://www.chemspider.com/Chemical-Structure.118630.html - see 3D model (presumably it's also incorrect). I've yet to check Wiki as of today, so I don't know if the site has changed since last August or not. I will check momentarily. I acknowledge what you say and I'm not necessarily disputing your points. If…
IUPAC has nothing to do with it--aspartame is a trivial name. It's no mess, either--chemists know that 1M sulfuric acid does not contain any H2SO4, even though H2SO4 is sulfuric acid. The skeletal and ball-and-stick structures differ precisely because they weren't created from the same source--the author of the ball-and-stick structure cites a crystallography paper as their source, and solid crystals consist of zwitt…
That type of problem is found throughout chemistry but usually an accepted nomenclature applies (when it doesn't is when we get into troubles).
So why did Wiki make the change when I pointed the matter out if it is incorrect?
I'd now suggest you get it corrected.
Edit: also tell Wiki that it shouldn't post inconsistent information as it only confuses (similarly ChemSpider).
Edit 2: 'aspartame is a trivial name'. Very true, but aspartame is not known to the world by its IUPAC name, even at best it still means that a nomenclature problem exists.
Re: Why does my diet soda taste off? Aspartame hydrolysis
#158Never saw the point of diet sodas. I'd much rather drink normal coke with proper sugar in it. It's unhealthy, yes - so drink slightly less.
I switched from drinking exclusively sugar soda to exclusively sugar-free soda, and very quickly ended up preferring the taste of the latter. But I also discovered that non-sugar sweeteners feel a lot… lighter? They're easier to drink, simply put; my body knows it's not sugar somehow. I also have discovered I don't like the sugar rush, feeling on the teeth or aftertaste of a sugary soda.
> But I also discovered that non-sugar sweeteners feel a lot… lighter?
My theory: diet soda has no high fructose corn syrup, so it feels thinner (less viscous and sticky).
Re: Why does my diet soda taste off? Aspartame hydrolysis
#159Similar topic, but after having COVID and losing my taste and smell for a few weeks, all carbonated sodas "taste off" for me. I've talked to a few people who have had similar experiences and after a year later, all of my regular Cokes still taste off :/
Re: Why does my diet soda taste off? Aspartame hydrolysis
#160Sorry if this is slightly off-topic, but whenever I drink Coca-Cola Zero, I get a bit dizzy. It doesn't happen with other soda like Pepsi Zero. I've read somewhere that aspartame is much stronger than sugar. For the life of me, I can't find any references I stumbled upon when I searched about it, but has any of you had the same symptoms?
Yes exactly this, it makes me feel dizzy, kind of "floaty" and generally just bad, anything with artificial sweetner can ruin my entire day. It's amazing how many things have these artificial sweetners in them, I have to read the labels on everything new I try. I can't seem to find others with the same issue so I'm really glad you said this.