This quick reaction works great in potentially alerting folks that their drink has been tampered with. This team is led by Professor Chang Young-Tae of the Department of Chemistry at the NUS Faculty of Science, where they have singled out an orange compound which changed color when mixed with GHB, and hence have called this particular chemical “GHB Orange.”
When placed in lighter-colored or translucent drinks, the color change was visible to the naked eye, although additional light is needed if one were to observe the change in darker drinks, including cola or whiskey. This might be a wee bit more inconvenient in clubs and pubs, as there is always very little light in there, so it might be a bit weird to bring your drinks outside and inspect it with a torch. Friends might think you’re a weirdo, but hey – better safe than sorry, right?
It remains to be seen when and what form will GHB Orange take when it comes to a commercial release – only time will be able to tell. [Press Release]