Where do I buy Lye (Sodium Hydroxide, NaOH)?
Don: You can buy food grade “lye” on the Internet or from any local chemical supply house. We use sodium hydroxide (NaOH) which Americans call “lye”. Sources of lye/NaOH are also listed in Appendix I of the book. Q: I am concerned about the use of the lye chemical in a product that I may ingest Don: Lye is the strongest of alkalis and dangerous in concentrated solutions, however the “chemical” itself does not contain toxic ingredients. It contains sodium (Na), just like table salt does and a hydroxyl group (OH) just as occurs when Baking Soda is dissolved in water. Both chemicals are alkaline; Lye is just a stronger alkali than baking soda As we perform the pH swing, the sodium hydroxide solution donates the hydroxyl group allowing the M-state/Ormus elements to form insoluble hydroxides which comprise the fluffy white precipitate that we see. If you do not overshoot the target pH of 10.5 or so (this is described in the book), then all of the “lye” is used up in making the precipitate a
