Carbonated drinks, such as soda, are in a state of supersaturation, meaning soda is completely saturated with carbon dioxide (CO2). Once any solution is supersaturated it generally can’t hold any more of the saturating substance. If you add sugar continuously to a glass of water, for example, eventually you’ll reach a point when the sugar just sinks to the bottom of the glass instead of dissolving into the water. If you heat the solution of sugar and water, however, the water will be able to accept more of the sugar than it could when the water was cool or at room temperature. Once the heated water has cooled to room temperature it will be supersaturated with sugar—more sugar will have been dissolved in the water than would normally be possible at room temperature.
Carbon dioxide is added to water to make soda in a similar manner. The water has been supersaturated with CO2 and then bottled and sealed to keep the carbon dioxide dissolved in the soda. The CO2 is always trying to escape from the soda, and once the soda bottle is open you see so many small bubbles forming, coming out of the solution.
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Carbonated drinks, such as soda, are in a state of supersaturation, meaning soda is completely saturated with carbon dioxide (CO2). Once any solution is supersaturated it generally can’t hold any more of the saturating substance. If you add sugar continuously to a glass of water, for example, eventually you’ll reach a point when the sugar just sinks to the bottom of the glass instead of dissolving into the water. If you heat the solution of sugar and water, however, the water will be able to accept more of the sugar than it could when the water was cool or at room temperature. Once the heated water has cooled to room temperature it will be supersaturated with sugar—more sugar will have been dissolved in the water than would normally be possible at room temperature.
Carbon dioxide is added to water to make soda in a similar manner. The water has been supersaturated with CO2 and then bottled and sealed to keep the carbon dioxide dissolved in the soda. The CO2 is always trying to escape from the soda, and once the soda bottle is open you see so many small bubbles forming, coming out of the solution.