3 replies to this topic

[Genesee Ted]

My wife asked me a question that I had never heard before regarding carbonation. She asked if 12 oz of carbonated water is something like 11.9 oz (or whatever, just slightly less) when it becomes flat. I never thought of this before and just assumed that the volume didn’t change but the CO2 has to go somewhere. I tried google but I couldn’t find anything.

I’m sure I’ll get the answer here

[Bklmt2000]

If the volume of water is 12 fluid ounces before carbonation, then you'll have 12 oz of water once that carbonation escapes and the water goes flat.

[Genesee Ted]

What if the volume is measured when carbonated and then flat?

[Bklmt2000]

What if the volume is measured when carbonated and then flat?

 

Then in that specific case, I agree, you'd expect to see a slight difference in volume, since carbonic acid does have mass/volume, and as it evolves out of solution as a gas, the mass of remaining carbonic acid in the water would decrease. 

 

You'd also need a very precise scale (such as a jeweler's scale), along with a few other items/pieces of info:

 

- you'd want to exactly how much carbonic acid the water was carbonated with to start, and calculate its volume/mass (probably not required, but good to know anyway)

 

- you'd need to be able to measure the water after it went flat to ensure it was truly flat, i.e., all traces of CO2 were gone

 

Assuming no losses of volume due to evaporation, if you had the above info, (and assuming I didn't miss something), you could weigh the carbonated volume of water, de-gas it, then weigh it again, and the difference would be the amount of CO2 lost.