Earlier this year IKEA launched a “charcoal” hot dog that we thought served as a dark moment in food history. Now, in another instance of tubular-meat desecration, YouTuber and chemist NileRed has released a video showing how to dissolve a hot dog in acid. And “charcoal dog” is just one brief stop on this wiener’s rapid dissolution into nothingness.
NileRed recently posted the above video, which was the result of his decision to “dissolve [his] wiener in acid.” Because who hasn’t thought of annihilating a hot dog for the sake of science? Especially if you’re at a gas station and need a good excuse to load up on sodium and heart burn.
As NileRed notes, he uses an acid chemists refer to as a “piranha solution” to dissolve his hot dog. The “hot and angry” blend consists of a 3:1 mixture of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide, and is able to use its extraordinary energy to rip apart the dog molecule by molecule; forcing it to convert into vaporized carbon dioxide.
Although the hot dog does indeed ultimately end up fully as vaporized carbon dioxide, the “sad little meat noodle” stage of the transformation is especially hilarious. It also reminds us of some horrible creatures we’ve seen recently that we’re glad are extinct.
Expectedly, piranha solution is extremely dangerous. (That name, though.) The biochemist points out that if the acid were to get on his skin, it would do the same exact thing it did to his hot dog. Which we don’t even want to imagine. Although we’ve all seen Fight Club.
In a less gross but equally fascinating experiment, NileRed has also used mercury to “devour” gold. The chemical transformation is quite a sight and, thankfully, doesn’t tempt us to go and make bad decisions at 7-Eleven.