4 ms·
Wikipedia article on the substance: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denatonium https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denatonium Denatonium, usually available as denato
by nsajko 4y ago
Wikipedia article on the substance: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denatonium https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denatonium
Denatonium, usually available as denatonium benzoate
(under trade names such as Denatrol, BITTERANT-b,
BITTER+PLUS, Bitrex, Bitrix, and Aversion) and as
denatonium saccharide (BITTERANT-s), is the most
bitter chemical compound known, with bitterness
thresholds of 0.05 ppm for the benzoate and 0.01 ppm
for the saccharide. It was discovered in 1958 during
research on local anesthetics by MacFarlan Smith of
Edinburgh, Scotland, and registered under the
trademark Bitrex.
Dilutions of as little as 10 ppm are unbearably bitter
to most humans. Denatonium salts are usually colorless
and odorless solids, but are often traded as solutions.
They are used as aversive agents (bitterants) to
prevent inappropriate ingestion. Denatonium is used in
denatured alcohol, antifreeze, preventive nail biting
preparations, respirator mask fit-testing, animal
repellents, liquid soaps, shampoos, and Nintendo Switch
game cards to prevent accidental swallowing or choking
by children. It is not known to pose any long-term
health risks.
The name "denatonium" reflects the substance's primary
use as a denaturant [...]
- extraduder_ire 4y agoI think they quietly stopped putting the bitter coating on switch carts two or so years after it launched, since there was a trend of people putting them in their mouth because they tasted bitter. I haven't verified this myself, but I do remember the massive flood of youtube videos of people tasting them early on.
- M4v3R 4y agoI don’t think they stopped. I bought a relatively new Switch game recently and (for science) checked the card, and it was in fact bitter.
- xtracto 4y agoOh my! I just tried licking my Mario Kart Switch game ... it does taste really bitter, and the taste stayed in my mouth for a couple of minutes. It makes a really interesting prank.