Ask A Scientist Chemistry Archive

name         Gretchen F.
status       educator
age          40s

Question -   I would like to know what factors influence or affect
carbonation?  Examples would be like how does temperature warm, hot,
cold, etc. effect it. I am doing an experiment with my students and I
want to explain to them what can influence their results.
-------------------
Gretchen,

For simple carbonation of water, the major factors are temperature and
pressure. The colder the better, and the higher the pressure the better.

If you have a trustworthy pressure cooker you can make a very appealing
carbonated drink by mixing a suitable fruit-flavored syrup and water in
proportions that seem tasty and then putting the solution in a pressure
cooker along with a few egg-size chunks of dry ice. Lock the lid in place,
attach the pressure regulator, and allow the cooker to stand for an hour or
so. Safely release the pressure and open it. You will discover a nicely
chilled, carbonated home-made soda pop.

Caution: Do not heat the cooker on the stove or plug it in if its an
electric model.

The pressure cooker is simply a pressure chamber that's holding the solution
while the chilling effect of the dry ice and the carbon dioxide released
from it is dissolving in (carbonating) the drink.

Regards,
ProfHoff 602
=====================================================