# Gel Tabs Dissolving Themselves?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gel-tabs-dissolving-themselves/839236>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 25, 2019, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gel-tabs-dissolving-themselves/839236 "2019-08-25T22:46:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2019, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gel-tabs-dissolving-themselves/839236/1 "2019-08-25T22:46:28Z")

</div>

I assume you all know what gel tabs are (vitamin E would be a common example–but there are many more). My question simply is, why don’t they dissolve themselves?

They are liquid inside. They certainly dissolve once they hit your stomach. Why don’t they dissolve long before?

:):)🙂

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2019, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gel-tabs-dissolving-themselves/839236/2 "2019-08-25T22:48:01Z")

</div>

Your stomach is full of acid. It could dissolve most anything (indeed, that’s its job). The liquid inside the gel tab is probably not acidic.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gel-tabs-dissolving-themselves/839236/3 "2019-08-26T04:29:12Z")

</div>

All capsules are made from water soluble substances, often gelatin (‘gel’ being short for gelatin).  
The drug inside is either dissolved or suspended in oil which has no effect on the capsule.

CMC fnord!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gel-tabs-dissolving-themselves/839236/4 "2019-08-26T04:52:28Z")

</div>

> [@crowmanyclouds](#):
>
> All capsules are made from water soluble substances, often gelatin (‘gel’ being short for gelatin).  
> The drug inside is either dissolved or suspended in oil which has no effect on the capsule.
> 
> CMC fnord!

I came here to say essentially the same thing. The gelatin (or whatever the capsule is made of) will dissolve in stomach acid, but the oily substance inside it will not dissolve the capsule. They may, however, cake if exposed to high humidity and temperatures.