Mots-c already has a fairly low pH on its own. That's the reason most users feel that burning sensation. With Hospira BAC, I haven't run into any gel formation at all. Is this something lots of folks in your vendor group are talking about?
I came across a few discussions on this, and one person said their supplier wouldn't promise it wouldn't gel.
)Hello dearHouseCat said:
I'm also looking into AA as a small-volume solvent for GHK-Cu (0.1-0.2mL AA, then dilute to final volume with BAC). Over at undergroundsupply.shop, I noticed a comparable blend for acetic acid (3% glycerin + 1% acetic acid + 0.9% benzyl alcohol, pH = 3) offered at goodlifesupplies.com. UgS describes theirs as commonly paired with AOD, which is famous for gelling, while goodlife markets theirs for topical application. Carolina.com, a lab supplier (not peptides), carries 17.4M glacial acetic acid (undiluted) in ACS grade — clearly you'd need far less of that than the GL or UCS preparations. But after reading up on glycerin injections by themselves, it appears they're used to sclerose spider veins or manage ocular or intracranial pressure, so my take is this is NOT something I'd inject, since I'm not trying to lower pressure or collapse veins (or capillaries, as I'm not doing IV injections).
On the other hand, NaCl BAC appears to have a target pH of 5.3 versus regular BAC at 5.7 (both accept 4.5-7), and I've come across claims that NaCl BAC helps reduce sting with MOTS-C, NAD+ and SS-31 — all of which I intend to use. I've got 99 problems and pH is one!
Of course, those with hands-on experience have simply used BAC and seem happy with it, and I'm paying attention. Still, I'd prefer to cut down on stinging and solubility/viscosity problems where I can.
The deeper I dig, the more tangled it gets! RABBIT HOLE!!! Time to step back and have a protein shake. (If any biochem folks or @eidos are bored and feel like weighing in…
Merci, mon ami!! Your answers are (as always) excellent and I truly appreciate them (and I promise not to call on you unless I need to)!eidos said:
Hello dearHouseCat said:
I'm also looking into AA as a small-volume solvent for GHK-Cu (0.1-0.2mL AA, then dilute to final volume with BAC). Over at undergroundsupply.shop, I noticed a comparable blend for acetic acid (3% glycerin + 1% acetic acid + 0.9% benzyl alcohol, pH = 3) offered at goodlifesupplies.com. UgS describes theirs as commonly paired with AOD, which is famous for gelling, while goodlife markets theirs for topical application. Carolina.com, a lab supplier (not peptides), carries 17.4M glacial acetic acid (undiluted) in ACS grade — clearly you'd need far less of that than the GL or UCS preparations. But after reading up on glycerin injections by themselves, it appears they're used to sclerose spider veins or manage ocular or intracranial pressure, so my take is this is NOT something I'd inject, since I'm not trying to lower pressure or collapse veins (or capillaries, as I'm not doing IV injections).
On the other hand, NaCl BAC appears to have a target pH of 5.3 versus regular BAC at 5.7 (both accept 4.5-7), and I've come across claims that NaCl BAC helps reduce sting with MOTS-C, NAD+ and SS-31 — all of which I intend to use. I've got 99 problems and pH is one!
Of course, those with hands-on experience have simply used BAC and seem happy with it, and I'm paying attention. Still, I'd prefer to cut down on stinging and solubility/viscosity problems where I can.
The deeper I dig, the more tangled it gets! RABBIT HOLE!!! Time to step back and have a protein shake. (If any biochem folks or @eidos are bored and feel like weighing in…
I picked up sterile AA from my supplier in the "town near the sea", but it's been sitting unused for three months. USP phosphate I did find, though NaOH for stabilising around 7 is nowhere. To be continued.
A biochemist friend with "tough training" warned me that something was off about pairing GHK with a strongly acidic buffer built on citric or acetic acid. So I went digging.
With no Handbook of Chemistry within reach any more, I put the isoelectric point of GHK Cu and the pKa values of its amino acids to ChatGPT, and the "thing" "understood" exactly why I was asking.
Put simply, the histidine core gets protonated under a pH of roughly 5.5 and lets go of Cu²+
Which makes that acid buffer a poor choice.
Something nearer 6.5-7 looks smarter (the isoelectric point sits around 8, where aggregates may form).
Personally, I add 0.9% NaCl (no BA) into my SS31, MOTS-c, GHK-Cu, and they hold for 5 days, 10 days, and 20 days. With a pen, that lowers the odds of introducing bugs, which is likelier with a syringe.
No more stinging either, and going isotonic killed the hardening. (MOTSc hurts badly in BA). If you want reassurance, pick up some BAC Saline.
It's cultural, so there's no reason to agonise over the choice. You come from a country where eggs get washed, disinfected, then kept in the fridge. Over here, washing them is banned — it would strip the natural cuticle/bloom that protects them — and fridges aren't needed anyway. Contamination rates match; decades have passed with no gap between the two approaches. It's simply that our fridges are smaller, and we have less of a chlorine industry.
On NAD+, I have no idea, I take NR by mouth. AZ has just dropped off a fresh bottle, vitamin E included, because on Reta my skin ends up looking like grilled chicken.
Vous etes le meilleur! Keep cool with this insane heat 
No problem at all — happy to be useful. Questions like this are genuinely enjoyable to explore.HouseCat said:
Merci, mon ami!! Your answers are (as always) excellent and I truly appreciate them (and I promise not to call on you unless I need to)!eidos said:
Hello dearHouseCat said:
I'm also looking into AA as a small-volume solvent for GHK-Cu (0.1-0.2mL AA, then dilute to final volume with BAC). Over at undergroundsupply.shop, I noticed a comparable blend for acetic acid (3% glycerin + 1% acetic acid + 0.9% benzyl alcohol, pH = 3) offered at goodlifesupplies.com. UgS describes theirs as commonly paired with AOD, which is famous for gelling, while goodlife markets theirs for topical application. Carolina.com, a lab supplier (not peptides), carries 17.4M glacial acetic acid (undiluted) in ACS grade — clearly you'd need far less of that than the GL or UCS preparations. But after reading up on glycerin injections by themselves, it appears they're used to sclerose spider veins or manage ocular or intracranial pressure, so my take is this is NOT something I'd inject, since I'm not trying to lower pressure or collapse veins (or capillaries, as I'm not doing IV injections).
On the other hand, NaCl BAC appears to have a target pH of 5.3 versus regular BAC at 5.7 (both accept 4.5-7), and I've come across claims that NaCl BAC helps reduce sting with MOTS-C, NAD+ and SS-31 — all of which I intend to use. I've got 99 problems and pH is one!
Of course, those with hands-on experience have simply used BAC and seem happy with it, and I'm paying attention. Still, I'd prefer to cut down on stinging and solubility/viscosity problems where I can.
The deeper I dig, the more tangled it gets! RABBIT HOLE!!! Time to step back and have a protein shake. (If any biochem folks or @eidos are bored and feel like weighing in…
I picked up sterile AA from my supplier in the "town near the sea", but it's been sitting unused for three months. USP phosphate I did find, though NaOH for stabilising around 7 is nowhere. To be continued.
A biochemist friend with "tough training" warned me that something was off about pairing GHK with a strongly acidic buffer built on citric or acetic acid. So I went digging.
With no Handbook of Chemistry within reach any more, I put the isoelectric point of GHK Cu and the pKa values of its amino acids to ChatGPT, and the "thing" "understood" exactly why I was asking.
Put simply, the histidine core gets protonated under a pH of roughly 5.5 and lets go of Cu²+
Which makes that acid buffer a poor choice.
Something nearer 6.5-7 looks smarter (the isoelectric point sits around 8, where aggregates may form).
Personally, I add 0.9% NaCl (no BA) into my SS31, MOTS-c, GHK-Cu, and they hold for 5 days, 10 days, and 20 days. With a pen, that lowers the odds of introducing bugs, which is likelier with a syringe.
No more stinging either, and going isotonic killed the hardening. (MOTSc hurts badly in BA). If you want reassurance, pick up some BAC Saline.
It's cultural, so there's no reason to agonise over the choice. You come from a country where eggs get washed, disinfected, then kept in the fridge. Over here, washing them is banned — it would strip the natural cuticle/bloom that protects them — and fridges aren't needed anyway. Contamination rates match; decades have passed with no gap between the two approaches. It's simply that our fridges are smaller, and we have less of a chlorine industry.
On NAD+, I have no idea, I take NR by mouth. AZ has just dropped off a fresh bottle, vitamin E included, because on Reta my skin ends up looking like grilled chicken.
