Everything about Carbonation totally explained
Carbonation occurs when
carbon dioxide is
dissolved in
water or an
aqueous solution. This process yields the "
fizzle" to
carbonated water and sparkling
mineral water, the
head to
beer, and the cork pop and bubbles to
champagne and
sparkling wine.
Effervescence
Effervescence is the escape of gas from an aqueous solution. The term is used to describe the foaming or fizzing that results from a release of gas. In the lab, a common example of effervescence is the addition of
hydrochloric acid to a block of
limestone. If a few pieces of
marble or an
antacid tablet are put in hydrochloric acid in a
test tube fitted with a
cork, effervescence of
carbon dioxide can be witnessed.
This process is generally represented by the following
reaction, where a pressurized dilute solution of
carbonic acid in water releases gaseous carbon dioxide at
decompression:
Shaking
It is commonly said that shaking a carbonated beverage will cause large amounts of foam to erupt upon opening, and it's often believed that shaking a bottle containing a carbonated beverage will cause the pressure inside to rise. Contrary to this myth, when a pressure gauge is attached to a pressurized bottle of a carbonated beverage, it's found that the pressure within doesn't increase. It is instead the formation of tiny bubbles from the agitation that causes the foam. Upon opening, the size of the bubbles will rapidly increase due to the reduction in pressure, resulting in excessive foaming.
Agitating carbonated liquid in a resealed vessel increases the rate that CO
2 is released from the solution and the rate that it approaches equilibrium pressure. The equilibrium pressure depends on the temperature, composition, and purity of the liquid, not the agitation of it.
Measuring carbonation
The quality of carbonated beverages including softdrinks, seltzer and beer is affected by the amount of dissolved CO2 (the gas that causes carbonation) and the amount of carbonic acid in the drink. Carbon dioxide (CO2) has an infrared absorption wavelength of 4.27
micrometers and can be measured online using an infrared carbonation sensor. This is an improvement to the traditional inferred measurement method using temperature and pressure for Henry's Law coefficients because this methodology is influenced by changes in density and alcohol content. Infrared measurements are not affected by changes in density or alcohol content because they're actually measuring the CO2 molecule using the
Beer-Lambert law. The amount of carbonation in a beverage is measured in Volumes or grams/liter. This is because introducing CO2 into a beverage will change its weight. An easy experiment to prove this is to take a seltzer bottle and weigh it. Carefully remove the top slowly so no liquid escapes from the bottle as the gas escapes the weight of the bottle of seltzer will go down. Shaking the bottle closed and then opening it to remove more CO2 will increase this effect.
Natural and artificial carbonation
Carbonation can occur as a result of natural processes: when
yeast ferments dissolved sugars sealed in a pressure-tolerant bottle or keg; when underground
volcanic carbon dioxide carbonates well water; or when rainwater passes through limestone into a cave and forms a
stalactite. Or it can be done artificially by dissolving carbon dioxide under pressure into the liquid. Sometimes natural carbonation is called
conditioning while the term
carbonation is reserved for the artificial process.
Uses
In many consumer beverages such as
soft drinks (well known examples include
Coca-Cola,
7 Up and
Pepsi), carbonation is used to give "bite". Contrary to popular belief, the fizzy taste is caused by dilute
carbonic acid inducing a slight burning sensation, and isn't caused by the presence of bubbles. This can be shown by drinking a fizzy drink in a
hyperbaric chamber at the same pressure as the beverage. This gives much the same taste, but the bubbles are completely absent.
Carbonation is sometimes used for reasons other than consumption for example:
to lower the
pH (raise the hydrogen ion concentration) of a water solution, and in the cleaning industry (Chem-Dry and Carbonated Solutions both use carbonated cleaning solutions for carpet cleaning)
Brewing
In
homebrewing, overcarbonation can be dangerous; it can result in bottles gushing or even exploding. Adding priming sugar or
malt extract at bottling time to beer that has had its fermentable sugar content totally consumed is the safest approach to carbonation. Exceeding recommended levels of priming sugar for a given recipe is dangerous, as is using inappropriate bottles or improper capping methods. Beer may also be force-carbonated using a keg and special bottling equipment so that the carbonation level can be carefully controlled.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Carbonation'.
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