Questions about carbonated water.....?!
Questions about carbonated water.....?
Why is it that carbonated water (club soda, soda water, etc.) has a sharp, bitter flavor even when it loses it's "carbonation bubbles"? How is water carbonated? Also, why do we tend to drink it when we are sick? Carbonated water makes me feel nauseous, so how could it help one's stomach feel better?
And what causes the strange flavor?
Answers:
Carbonated water, also known as soda water, sparkling water, fizzy water, club soda, or seltzer water, is plain water into which carbon dioxide gas has been dissolved. The process of dissolving carbon dioxide gas is called carbonation. It results in the formation of carbonic acid (which has the chemical formula H2CO3).
In the past, soda water was produced in the home by "charging" a refillable seltzer bottle by filling it with water and then adding carbon dioxide. Club soda may be identical to plain carbonated water or it may contain a small amount of table salt, sodium citrate, sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, potassium sulfate, or disodium phosphate, depending on the bottler. These additives are included to emulate the slightly salty taste of homemade soda water.
Today, carbonated water is made by passing pressurized carbon dioxide through water. The pressure increases the solubility and allows more carbon dioxide to dissolve than would be possible under standard atmospheric pressure. When the bottle is opened, the pressure is released, allowing the gas to come out of the solution, thus forming the characteristic bubbles.
Sparkling mineral waters show slightly greater tooth enamel dissolution potential than still waters, but levels remain low and are of the order of one hundred times less than soft drinks. De-gassing of a sparkling mineral water reduces its dissolution, but the total levels are still relatively low, suggesting that carbonation of drinks may not be an important factor per se in respect of erosive potential.
Intake of carbonated beverages has been associated with increased bone fracture risk in observational studies, but the net effect of carbonated beverage constituents on calcium economy of the body is negligible. Thus, the skeletal effects of carbonated beverage consumption are likely due primarily to milk displacement (drinking club soda and thus drinking less milk).