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Capsaicin is the compound that makes hot peppers spicy. This compound reversibly binds to the same...

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Chemistry

Capsaicin is the compound that makes hot peppers spicy. Thiscompound reversibly binds to the same protein that detects heat inour bodies. For that reason, when we eat spicy food we experience a“burning” sensation. The spice level in different types of peppersis measured in Scoville units. A Scoville unit refers to the numberof times a pepper extract has to be diluted in order for a panel ofpeople to no longer detect the heat. For example, a Jalapeño pepperranks about ~5000 units. This means that liquid extracted from aJalapeño must be diluted 5000 times before the heat is no longerdetectable to the palate.

The spiciest peppers known, such as the Carolina Reaper, haveabout 3 million Scoville units of heat. Imagine you watch a show onTV claiming that the Carolina Reaper pepper is 600 times spicierthan a Jalapeño (3 million divided by 5 thousand), since you knowthe thermodynamics of chemical equilibria, you can make a morenuanced assessment of that claim.

Explain why or why not the TV host above might or might not becorrect. Clearly state any assumptions and use equations ifnecessary.

Answer & Explanation Solved by verified expert
3.8 Ratings (559 Votes)
This question tries to test the concept behind dilution Let ustry to qualitatively analyze the scenario givenWe are told that hotness of a chilly is measured in terms ofScoville units Now the methodology adopted is diluting the chillyextract TILL everyone in a panel cant feel the heat of the chillyextract What this means is that the amount of capsaicin present inthe diluted solution is so low that the protein that binds tocapsaicin cant really bind to it at this low concentrationReactions can be qualitatively gauged by the amounts ofreactants in the solution If    See Answer
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