Serious Science Question

[Guardian-Angel]

So, this year I took chemistry, and one of the subjects was acids and bases. A sub-category of that was neutralization. Neutralization is basically when you combine a base and a acid to neutralize each other (I can't put it more simply than that, sorry for you high school freshman). When neutralization occurs, a salt is produced.

So, now this where my question comes in. Vaginal fluid is an acid, correct? And sperm/semen (I forget which is the seed and which is the fluid) is a base, yes? So when the two combine, neutralization should occur, unless there's a factor missing that I'm unaware of. So, if the two neutralize each other, what's the salt that's produced?

My teacher always avoids answering me, so I come to you smart NGers... hah

[Me-Patch]

At 6/14/09 12:56 AM, Guardian-Angel wrote:

My teacher always avoids answering me

Well Jesus Christ, I wonder why?

[Kenneth-Knows-All]

Babies.

[Dilloniscool]

Easy to find out what happens,masterbath than you have some sperm, than get the acid.

[LordZeebmork]

They probably aren't very strong. If you put tomato juice on soap, it probably won't start neutralizing. Same thing with semen (that's the liquid, sperm are the cells) and vaginal fluid.

[TheBoyOfAges]

At 6/14/09 01:00 AM, Kenneth-Knows-All wrote: Babies.

You are correct sir!

to me you are at least.

[Porkchop]

It's cause the components of Seminal Plasma dont have any Hydrogen in them.
If they did, then they might produce a salt. I think the acids in the vagina are all different, too. As are the components of Seminal Plasma.

[Proottalfain]

I'd have to know what is the acid in the vagina and the base in semen. Example:

Acid + base = water + salt
HCl + NaOH = H2O + NaCl

[blindedbymusic]

you know thats a very good question
one of the components of sperm is made out of something similar to sugar so maybe the product is similar to sugar and vinigar?

[TheZachs]

At 6/14/09 12:59 AM, Me-Patch wrote:

At 6/14/09 12:56 AM, Guardian-Angel wrote:

My teacher always avoids answering me

Well Jesus Christ, I wonder why?

Because we live in a society that avoids the pursuit of knowledge for certain things it claims are icky for no particular reason.

[Me-Patch]

At 6/14/09 01:03 AM, TheZachs wrote: Because we live in a society that avoids the pursuit of knowledge for certain things it claims are icky for no particular reason.

Oh is that what it is? How dare I speak up for a teacher who doesn't answer a dumb question in the name of common decency. Shame on us all and our chaste ways.

[Sheizenhammer]

Err.... I think it might just be ordinary NaCl (or maybe KCl), since human physiology is most readily equipped to deal with that.

Sperm cells have a lot of Sodium and Potassium ions in them (it's to do with the molecular 'motor' powering their tails), and as a result (so semen itself is not self-destructively acidic), chloride ions are present in the seminal fluid that the sperm live in. It's those chlorine ions that would cause the basic state of semen. When chloride ions come into contact with common bodily acids, which often have sodium or potassium as components, the result is often ordinary salt (NaCl), or potassium chloride (KCl).

None of this really matters, though: The vagina is coated in a layer of mucus that acts like an acidic buffer, so any salt made by sperm would just be caught in the mucus, and the pH not really affected by it anyway.

This is just an estimated guess, mind you. And why the hell do you want to know anyway?

[TheZachs]

At 6/14/09 01:10 AM, Me-Patch wrote:

At 6/14/09 01:03 AM, TheZachs wrote: Because we live in a society that avoids the pursuit of knowledge for certain things it claims are icky for no particular reason.

Oh is that what it is? How dare I speak up for a teacher who doesn't answer a dumb question in the name of common decency. Shame on us all and our chaste ways.

If you're suggesting there should be such thing as a stupid question to our education system then, yes, how dare you.

[Me-Patch]

At 6/14/09 01:24 AM, TheZachs wrote: If you're suggesting there should be such thing as a stupid question to our education system then, yes, how dare you.

That's just unrealisticlly naive talk right there.

[somemember]

Why are Earth do you want to know anyhow?

Find out by yourself, perhaps?

[TheZachs]

At 6/14/09 01:29 AM, Me-Patch wrote:

At 6/14/09 01:24 AM, TheZachs wrote: If you're suggesting there should be such thing as a stupid question to our education system then, yes, how dare you.

That's just unrealisticlly naive talk right there.

Okay, fine, but this is a question that actually pertains to the subject at hand. If the teacher doesn't know that's fine, or the same if there are more important things to cover, but what I gathered, and again this may not be right, is that he asked the teacher during free time and the teacher refused to answer. They could at least say "I don't know."

[Me-Patch]

At 6/14/09 01:33 AM, TheZachs wrote: Okay, fine, but this is a question that actually pertains to the subject at hand. If the teacher doesn't know that's fine, or the same if there are more important things to cover, but what I gathered, and again this may not be right, is that he asked the teacher during free time and the teacher refused to answer. They could at least say "I don't know."

Or maybe he did know and he just felt uncomfortable talking about it with a young possibly insincere student. My only point is that teachers have a right to some amount of discretion.

[BlackPlastic]

At 6/14/09 12:56 AM, Guardian-Angel wrote: And sperm/semen (I forget which is the seed and which is the fluid)

I hope this is because you are foreign and unfamiliar with the English language...

[TheZachs]

At 6/14/09 01:46 AM, Me-Patch wrote:

At 6/14/09 01:33 AM, TheZachs wrote: Okay, fine, but this is a question that actually pertains to the subject at hand. If the teacher doesn't know that's fine, or the same if there are more important things to cover, but what I gathered, and again this may not be right, is that he asked the teacher during free time and the teacher refused to answer. They could at least say "I don't know."

Or maybe he did know and he just felt uncomfortable talking about it with a young possibly insincere student. My only point is that teachers have a right to some amount of discretion.

I guess man. I'm not trying to change the system, just express my personal distaste for the fact that we as a society got this uncomfortable in the first place.

[BlackPlastic]

At 6/14/09 01:24 AM, TheZachs wrote:

At 6/14/09 01:10 AM, Me-Patch wrote:

If you're suggesting there should be such thing as a stupid question to our education system then, yes, how dare you.

What the fuck? Do you really honestly think that?

[Snake-Arsenic]

At 6/14/09 01:59 AM, BlackPlastic wrote:

At 6/14/09 01:24 AM, TheZachs wrote:

At 6/14/09 01:10 AM, Me-Patch wrote:

If you're suggesting there should be such thing as a stupid question to our education system then, yes, how dare you.

What the fuck? Do you really honestly think that?

In retar-I mean, remedial classes what would seem like a stupid question becomes highly intelligent.

[ImlunchBoxx]

babies shouldve been the first answer

[KrevZabijak]

At 6/14/09 02:22 AM, ImlunchBoxx wrote: babies shouldve been the first answer

And the last, after reading this.. uh... "debate" that has resulted.