Where to buy KOH?
 

I really have appreciated the good reading on this forum on acid
reduction. Tom S has endorsed using KOH instead of the more readily
available KHCO3 for lowering TA. Any suggestions where to get my
hands on that stuff (without getting any on my hands of course)?

Where to buy KOH?
 

"glad heart" > wrote in message
om...
> I really have appreciated the good reading on this forum on acid
> reduction. Tom S has endorsed using KOH instead of the more readily
> available KHCO3 for lowering TA.

"endorsed"? Not really. I usually recommend K2CO3 these days. I used KOH
once about 20 years ago, but the last time I looked it wasn't available in
either reagent or USP grade so I abandoned it. Haven't needed it anyway;
my problems have been high pH (low acid) lately.

Tom S

Where to buy KOH?
 

Since posting I've found pharmaceutical grade KOH NF/USP supplied by
Medisca here in Canada. KOH strikes me as clean, trouble-free
(bubble-free) chemistry.

Where to buy KOH?
 

"glad heart" > wrote in message
om...
> Since posting I've found pharmaceutical grade KOH NF/USP supplied by
> Medisca here in Canada. KOH strikes me as clean, trouble-free
> (bubble-free) chemistry.

It'll do the job, but it's hazardous to handle and the local pH when adding
to wine will briefly become extremely high. A chemist friend thinks that
_might_ be cause for concern.

You certainly want to cold stabilize afterwards to precipitate the excess
potassium.

Tom S

Where to buy KOH?
 

>Tom S has endorsed using KOH instead of the more readily
available KHCO3 for lowering TA. Any suggestions where to get my
hands on that stuff (without getting any on my hands of course)?<

No need to use KOH, the net effect is precisely the same. In the case of KOH
you get water:

H+ + OH- = H20

and with carbonate you get CO2 :

H+ + HCO3- = H2CO3

which splits in H2O and CO2, which bubbles out of the solution with all the
other CO2 from the fermentation.

In both cases one K will replace one H resulting in the same amount of total
acidity loss.
also K2CO3 is a lot safer to handle.

--
groeten van Bart