Is mace and pepper spray the same?

Answer 1

Mace or "tear gas" is a chemical compound. Most US Military people are exposed to it during boot camp in a vapor-filled room where they are instructed to remove their gas masks. Some special operations forces are repeatedly exposed so that they can learn to perform normal tasks under its effects. It has less of a burning effect but more of a respiratory and mucous effect.

Pepper Spray is concentrated oil and resin from peppers, just like the name says.

Its effects are claimed to be more intense and less easy to build up a tolerance to its effects, and has come to be more widely used for personal and policing purposes because of this. It is more of a liquid than a vapor, so it is less useful for weaponization.

Pepper spray is extremely painful, moreso than mace.

Mace is easy to weaponize and deploy on crowds or enemy troops from artillery shells, mortars, etc. It can form large, lingering clouds.

Pepper spray is too heavy and oily for that, but pepper spray "clings" to the human skin and membranes and is harder to rinse off.

Police have used combinations of both compounds on crowds in Seattle and at other protests. Potential hazards of doing this have been discussed but there isn't much medical research even though there have been deaths and law suits related to cardiac and respiratory failure after intense dosages have been delivered.

Answer 2

Pepper spray is Oleoresin Capsicum (OC). Usually it is referred to as OC Spray, but generically may be called mace. It is merely concentrated pepper. Mace may include chemical compounds such as CS or CN, sometimes referred to as tear-gas, but not containing pepper.