Soda Fizzzz

   Have you ever shaken a soda bottle and then opened it and let all the fizz blow out or, taking a big 2 liter soda and dropping mentors in it? I definitely have. That fizz is carbon dioxide (CO2). Soft drink manufacturers add this fizz by forcing CO2 and water in to the soda at extremely high pressures. The pressures can range from 100 to 1,200 pounds per square inch. The carbon dioxide (fizz) actually takes up most of the soda.

   Once you open a soda, that "fssst" sound is all of the millions of carbon dioxide molecules bursting out of the can/bottle after being forced in. Normally if you open a soda bottle for the second time there is either no fizz, or very little at all and that is because the first time you opened it all of the CO2 molecules escaped. This requires energy because in order for the gas to break free from the liquid it has to overcome the force holding the liquid together. This process can either be slow or fast depending on the pressure inside. Here is a picture of a soda with fizz (CO2) bursting out of the top.

Soda Fizz Research 2

Soda Fizz Research 3

Soda Fizz Research