Lecture 25

Carbon dioxide and carbonation

Carbondioxide :

Carbon dioxide is a non-toxic, inert gas that is virtually tasteless and is readily available at a
reasonable cost. It is soluble in liquids (the degree of solubility increasing as the liquid
temperature decreases) and can exist as a gas, liquid or solid. When dissolved in water it forms
carbonic acid. It is carbonic acid in combination with the product that produces the acidic and
biting taste found in carbonated waters and soft drinks. Above a certain level of carbonation,
carbon dioxide also has a preserving property, which is a bonus from its use. Carbon dioxide gas
is heavier than air; it has a specific gravity of 1.53 under normal conditions of temperature and
pressure. It has a molecular weight of 44.01 and does not burn, although it will support the
combustion of magnesium. It is a fairly stable compound that decomposes into carbon and
oxygen only at very high temperatures. It can cause death by suffocation if inhaled in large
amounts. The gas is easily liquefied by compression and cooling. When liquid carbon dioxide is
quickly decompressed it expands rapidly and some of it evaporates; this evoporation removes
sufficient heat that the remainder cools into a solid. Carbon dioxide is part of the atmosphere,
making up about 1% by volume of dry air. Carbon dioxide is a known contributor to the
greenhouse effect.

Carbonation :

Carbonation is the impregnation of a liquid with carbon dioxide gas.. For a liquid–gas mixture in
a sealed container, equilibrium is said to exist when the rates of gas leaving and entering the
liquid solution are equal. Take any PET bottle of carbonated soft drink and shake it: the liquid–
gas interface will initially fob, but after a short while the equilibrium condition will have been
reached. Fobbing is a term used within the carbonated beverage industry to denote product
foaming. If the cap is then opened and some of the contents poured out, the cap replaced and
the shaking repeated, the bottle will go from being limp before the shaking to being rigid. Gas
has come out of solution to attain the equilibrium condition. This state is just stable. Any
decrease in pressure or increase in temperature will render the mixture metastable, that is,
supersaturated, so that the temperature. pressure combination is insufficient to keep the
carbon dioxide in solution. If this occurs, gas is spontaneously released, giving rise to fobbing. If
the mixtures are agitated or some irritant, such as small particulates, is added to the mix, the
rate of gas release will be even more pronounced. This is due to nucleation sites being
generated by the presence of these particulates or other gases, such as air. Any carbonated
product that is kept in a container that is open to the atmosphere will gradually lose
carbonation. This is due to the gas being liberated into the atmosphere as the liquid–gas
interface continually strives to achieve the equilibrium condition. In a closed container the gas
fills the container headspace, thus increasing the headspace pressure. This happens quickly at
first and then slowly as equilibrium is approached. The rate of transfer of gas from the product
to the headspace depends on the proximity of the headspace pressure to the equilibrium
pressure, the temperature of the liquid, the nature of the beveage, the extent of any agitation
and the presence of any irritants. A quiescent, stable product will take many hours to reach
equilibrium when not subjected to any external forces such as agitation, movement,
temperature or pressure change. However, the same product roughly shaken will take only
seconds to achieve the equilibrium condition. The faster the rate of change towards the
equilibrium condition, the sooner this condition will be reached. For a given volume, the
amount of carbon dioxide that can be retained in solution depends on the temperature and
pressure. The lower the temperature, the greater the amount of carbon dioxide that is retained.
Conversely, the higher the temperature, the greater the pressure required to maintain the
carbon dioxide in solution.