Colour

[ughaibu]

There's a general myth that vomiting drunks have all eaten tomatoes, but isn't this a litmus effect by which stomach acid turns vegetable matter red?

[ronthepon]

No, all organic chemicals do not turn red when exposed to low pH conditions.

 

Litmus is a particular chemical, and it's properties involve turning red in presence of acids.

 

Anyway, if stomach acid would turn vegetable matter red, then all vomit would be red.

[hallenrm]

There is nothing called Litmus effect, what you are referring to, is the observed colour when two substance one called Litmus and the other belonging to a group of substances caaled acid are present together. It is indeed hard to say that the human stomach has Litmus present in it all the time. Nevertheless, there can be a number of chemical reactions that produce a red coloured product.

[ughaibu]

Thanks for the replies. It turns out that several plants/vegetables, for example those containing flavin, show a red reaction to acidity.

[Boerseun]

Interesting... I always thought that all drunks ate carrots!

 

I understand what you mean with a 'litmus' effect, but I think the redness might even be blood? Depends how much and what the guy drank, I suppose...

 

(But none of this explains where my dog gets peanuts from... He must have a peanut-pusher around here somewhere.)