I don't think BS works without the presence of acid. At least, I think that's how Alton Brown explained it.

The FAQ has some BS info: http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/FAQ/FAQ400s.htm

And this talks a bit about how baking soda lowers the acidity of things:
http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/Seaso...Transcript.htm

And this explains even more: http://chemistry.about.com/cs/foodch...f/blbaking.htm