Quote:All thats assuming there is excess acetic acid and its not just the alcohol burning the tissues. In the latter case, dilute with stirring immediately before use.
I had not considered the presence of alcohol. The tincture itself was made by back salting the solvent containing freebase with vinegar and then reducing down to a few ml. A drop of the tincture on its own without mixing with bicarb burns considerably.
Wouldn't any alcohol in the solution have evaporated off when reducing ?
Diluting is not really an option because I am trying to find a way to keep the dosage at a few drops so that it can be easily absorbed via the mouth without ingesting. It will be used in the space between lips and gums. So if it is too liquid it will not absorb properly. This is why i was keen on mixing with bicarb because it becomes a paste which aids in the absorption.
I suppose if i just add less bicarb so that it stays slightly acidic rather than going all the way to freebase would be easiest, but this would require trial and error. Or like you say going all the way to freebase and then re-acidifying.