With or without, loud or quiet? This standard question in the restaurant, of course, is about whether you want to order the water with or without carbonic acid. But how does carbon dioxide get into the water, what is carbon dioxide actually and how does a potable water bubbler work? Exactly these questions I would like to answer you in this post.
What is carbonic acid?
Carbonic acid, chemically described by the structural formula H 2 CO 3, is an inorganic acid resulting from the reaction of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) with water (H 2 O). In addition to a variety of industrial and production applications, it plays a crucial role in the acid-base balance of water, blood and other body fluids.
Most people, however, it is mainly through the use of soft drinks, especially in mineral water known. There, it not only ensures its refreshing character when consumed but also serves durability. Acidification in the bottle creates a strong antimicrobial environment that benefits shelf life.
How does the carbonic acid get into the water?
Unlike many other gases such as oxygen (O 2 ) or nitrogen (N 2 ), carbon dioxide is readily soluble in water and reacts to a small percentage to form carbonic acid. This creates a chemical equilibrium between water, carbon dioxide and carbon dioxide. This balance and thus the proportion of carbonic acid in the water depends, among other things, on the temperature and the pressure.
In principle, there are two ways in which carbonic acid can get into the water:
- of course :
There are sources of water that naturally have larger amounts of carbon dioxide due to geological conditions such as the infiltration of the water into cooled magma masses.
- Industrial:
Here, the water is added to the bottling under pressure with carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) under pressure, so that forms as described above carbonic acid in the water. This is also the reason that the mineral water bottle hisses when opening. When opening, the overpressure in the bottle is abruptly reduced, which makes itself acoustically noticeable.
How does a Sodastream water bubbler work?
The actual operation is the same on all models. The machine is put in place as follows:
- remove the green cap from the gas cylinder;
- tilt the hood by pressing on the back of the machine;
- insert the cylinder by screwing it on the support.
The machine is ready to use. Before using the plastic bottle supplied with the appliance, wash it thoroughly; be careful, it is not a compatible dishwasher. The ideal is the bottle-cleaning with dishwashing liquid and several rinses with very hot water. There are, however, for sale special bottles dishwasher but the price is higher. Note that the bottle does not retain any smell, whatever the flavor of soda used previously.
Then just fill the water bottle to the mark symbolized by a tap and waves. Tip: put your water in the refrigerator several hours before the operation, you will have sparkling water well cool as soon as the gasification is complete. Insert the bottle into the space reserved for this purpose and press the gray button on the front of the machine. The number of pressures determines the amount of bubbles.
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