I’d always been under the impression (and I’m not the
only one) that a dressed salad eventually wilts because the
acid in the vinegar attacks the leaves. To test this theory, I
dressed ½ ounce of fresh salad greens with 1 teaspoon
distilled white vinegar (5% acetic acid), another ½ ounce
with plain water (as a control), and a third ½ ounce with
olive oil, then let the leaves sit at room temperature for 10
minutes.
Oil-dressed greens.