The relative insensitivity of the chemical tests to several of extreme exposures to lime(a base) demonstrates modes the ruggedness of the Modified Griess and the Sodium Rhodizonate Tests The authors presume that the high concentration of acetic acid 5%) applied to the cheesecloth and transferred to the cloth when heated by the iron is responsible for neutralizing the lime and producing an acidic environment favorable to the subsequent color forming reactions, though this was not specifically tested.