[Ramphis34]

Hello there everyone,

This is my first post and I would like to say first of all that I am very happy to be here!

I have a very unique challenge for all you lovely chemical loving folk out there.
This is mostly chemistry challenge, but I admit it has a bit of biology mixed in as well.

I am living in Papua New Guinea (Just North of Australia) in Asia Pacific.
In this wild area of the world just about all people, men, women and children! all chew something called Betel nut or Buai as it is also known.
This is the green nut from a variety of palm tree which grows in this area of the world.
The reason they chew it is because it produces a mild/medium stimulatory effect similar to drinking one too many coffees! + plus a slightly euphoric effect too.
I do not recommend anyone to try it at all!

Now the problem is not so much the fact that everyone chews it all the time which can be rather unpleasant but a far worse humanitarian crises is occurring which I think you folks can offer some help with.

The way that everyone over here chews this Betel Nut is by mixing it with Lime (Quick Lime, Edible Lime, AKA Calcium Hydroxide) Ca(OH)2.

Unfortunately Calcium Hydroxide is a very unpleasant substance to put into your mouth!! As I'm sure you are aware it basically burns your flesh and causes horrible damage to the mouth.

So my challenge to you all is to read the below extract about the chemical reaction which Lime creates when it mixes with the chewed betel nut and then see if you can come up with any more consumable alternatives to lime which would still cause a similar or same chemical reaction to occur with the betel nut.

EXTRACT:

In the presence of lime, arecoline and guvacoline in Areca nut are hydrolyzed into arecaidine and guvacine, respectively, which are strong inhibitors of GABA uptake.Piper betle flower or leaf contains aromatic phenolic compounds which have been found to stimulate the release of catecholamines in vitro. Thus, betel chewing may affect parasympathetic, GABAnergic and sympathetic functions. Betel chewing produces an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, sweating and body temperature. In addition, EEG shows widespread cortical desynchronization indicating a state of arousal. In autonomic function tests, both the sympathetic skin response and RR interval variation are affected. Betel chewing also increases plasma concentrations of norepinephrine and epinephrine. These results suggest that betel chewing mainly affects the central and autonomic nervous systems. Future studies should investigate both the acute and chronic effects of betel chewing. Such studies may further elucidate the psychoactive mechanisms responsible for the undiminished popularity of betel chewing since antiquity.

If you can come up with some alternatives which you feel would produce a similar chemical reaction and be less harmful to the body than Calcium Hydroxide then you have potentially improved the lives and health of over 20 million people! - That should feel pretty good right?

I thank you all for reading this and for any of your work/support in advance.

I look forward to your answers....

[Corribus]

From what I understand, following an admittedly very cursory glance around the internet, any negative effects owing to consumption of calcium hydroxide are far overshadowed by the negative effects of the alkaloids themselves, which are known carcinogens. Not meaning to belittle your efforts, or anything, but trying to find an alternative chemical to calcium hydroxide in this situation feels a little bit like telling someone who is fond of snorting cocaine that they should try to use something other than razor blades to form their lines, owing to the risk of cuts on their fingers.

Anyway, on to chemistry. Calcium hydroxide is used widely in the food industry, so it is itself not a toxic substance. Any deleterious effects to mucous membranes would derive from its alkalinity, which is rather mild compared to many alternatives. I don't know a whole lot about the transformative chemical process you are referring to here, and didn't investigate, but any suitable replacement to achieve the same chemical transformations accomplished by calcium hydroxide to the active components in betel nut leaves would probably also have to be alkaline, and so likely you won't be accomplishing that much in the long run by swapping one mild base for another. A milder base would be better, I guess, but whatever transformative process is happening would also probably be less efficient, and thus less desirable to people engaged in this habit.

So, my only partially informed opinion is that you'd be better off focusing your efforts on curbing the betel nut habit itself. I could be glib and say, "good luck with that", but large scale changes to such widespread bad habits can be effected, but usually not through chemistry. Look at what has happened to tobacco use here in the States over the last several decades. That hasn't been primarily due to finding chemical alternatives to tobacco or nicotine, although technology has made cigarettes safer (better filters, etc.)... education efforts, and regulations/taxes, and basic cultural changes (focus on health, etc.) have largely been responsible.

My two cents.

[Furanone]

The link below from IARC states the calcium hydroxide helps to extract the alkaloids, so if it just needs an increase in pH to aid in solubilizing the alkaloids then perhaps calcium acetate would work. Not nearly as strong a base as calcium hydroxide, but more friendly to the body since it is a commonly added food additive (E263) for the purpose of buffering candies. It also has a much blander taste in mouth tha say sodium acetate which can be soapy in taste. Also, if the calcium from the calcium hydroxide is needed as a sequestrant, then the calcium acetate would also satisfy this condition in addition to the pH raising to aid in alkaloid extraction.

To Corribus, alkaloids as a class in general are very toxic agreed, and this is theorized why the bitter taste in humans is far more sensitive than all other taste buds to be able to detect dangerous nutritional sources, but many foods that have been consumed for centuries (eg. chocolate & coffee) have a non-negligible amount of alkaloids, that if there is a negative effect then it is fair to say it is likely very long term with many other contributing variables (individual's health, average intake over the years, processing conditions eg. roasting time & temp)

http://www.mouthcancerfoundation.org/patients-guide/areca-betel-nut

[Corribus]

Not all alkaloids are the same.

[Furanone]

Not all alkaloids are the same.

agreed