5 ms·
Couldn't WD-40's formula be reverse engineered using analytical chemical techniques? GC-MS, NMR, etc.
by hurricanepootis 9mo ago
Couldn't WD-40's formula be reverse engineered using analytical chemical techniques? GC-MS, NMR, etc.
- 542458 9mo agoRelated, somebody recently did this for Coke. There's a video on YouTube (I'd link it but my anti-procrastination filter is on). But yes, I strongly suspect a motivated party could use analytical chemistry to work it out.
- pogue 9mo agoHa! ;)
- throwawayq3423 9mo agoI imagine the "what's next" is the same for replicating Coke or WD-40, you have a similar product and none of the name recognition or ad spend. Not worth much.
- pogue 9mo agoThe guy on YouTube who just recreated the formula of Coca-Cola with HPLC & etc should take a crack at it Perfectly Replicating Coca Cola (It Took Me A Year) by LabCoatz https://youtu.be/TDkH3EbWTYc https://youtu.be/TDkH3EbWTYc
- xeonmc 9mo agoInstructions unclear. Taste-tested WD40.
- guerrilla 9mo agoIt smells so fucking good though, don't you think? You almost want to taste it.
- hahahahhaah 9mo agoNo that was the Pepsi
- cryptoz 9mo agoThe title is clickbait though, he admits near the end it is not in fact a perfect replication. I could feel this of course, long before even starting to watch it. Still, upsetting because otherwise it’s an entertaining video.
- pogue 9mo agoThe main ingredient he is missing is coca leaf. I used to buy Mate de Coca tea from Peru/Boliva no problem. It's a decocanized coca leaf tea. Shame he didn't hunt around or try harder to get it.
- capitainenemo 9mo agoHe said his first order of decocanised cocoa leaf was seized at the border. I can see that discouraging trying again, esp when he's trying to make something others could reproduce. He did find a pretty good substitute for the primary cocoa leaf ingredient though. Also, what he made was virtually indistinguishable in the taste tests. One person said that his tasted closer to the 2L of coke than the can of coke did, which suggests the final bit could just be carbonation level of the soda stream.
- Spooky23 9mo agoThat was our theory in the office when we taste tested the various cokes. The favorite by far was kosher for Passover coke. At first we thought it was the sugar vs. HFCS, but bottled Mexican coke didn’t fare as well — blind most people thought Coke Zero (which is my favorite coke) was Mexican Coke. My theory was that the carbonation was perfect and the product was fresher, as the bottler requires rabbinical supervision and they probably make it for a limited run.
- gorkish 9mo agoThere is essentially zero chemical difference whatsoever in sugar vs corn syrup coke. sucrose disassociates in the presence of an acid into glucose+fructose simple sugars. Just being carbonated will disassociate the sucrose.
- Tiberium 9mo agoCoca-cola's "secret formula" is also just marketing.
- dang 9mo agoDiscussed here: Perfectly Replicating Coca Cola [video] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46543509 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46543509 - Jan 2026 (219 comments)
- Scoundreller 9mo agoSorta, it’s a mix of mixtures of molecules so you also need to consider the makeup of whatever compound it’s made with (but it’s probably something dumb like kerosene). Reality is you’d want to make something with similar physical characteristics and call it a day. Kinda like how we don’t bother with hplc on gasoline, you just fill your car with something that meets the specs and get on with life
- p0w3n3d 9mo agokerosene Like in Grog
- loosescrews 9mo agoTo some extent. There are limitations on the technique, including, but not limited to, not determining the relative concentrations and not detecting all components. The WSJ article actually links to an older Wired article about doing gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy on WD-40 and the results: https://www.wired.com/2009/04/st-whatsinside-6/ https://www.wired.com/2009/04/st-whatsinside-6/
- hurricanepootis 9mo agoYou could use techniques like HPLC to determine the concentrations within the sample if you know what's in it.
- dylan604 9mo agoTrying to come up with that would result in WD-38, WD-41, etc. Can't read the paywalled article, but Water Displacement formula 40 seemed to be the best of the formulas for being a lubricant.
- daedrdev 9mo agoKnowing all the molecules in it might be only a minor step towards actually making it, especially since some inputs of production might not be present in the final product.
- IshKebab 9mo agoIt probably wouldn't be that hard. This mystique is mostly marketing. I mean it's not like WD-40 has no competitors on the market. It might not even be the best.
- krackers 9mo agoThe components are on the MSDS (albeit only the CAS codes not the specific chemical), only the percentages seem to be a trade secret? Basically a light carrier oil mixed with kerosene-esque solvent. I almost feel the secrecy is part of the marketing ploy, since w-40 in particular isn't the "best" tool for any job (there are better standalone degreasers and penetrating lubricants). No one who cares enough about the exact composition would bother using wd-40 in the first place.