Pop!

Open that bottle of a 12-ounce cola. Hear the sound? What’s that audible pop you hear?

Carbonated beverages like cola, contain carbon dioxide dissolved in water. For carbon dioxide to be in solution with water, high pressure is required. This pressure is locked in, by placing cap on the bottle’s mouth. For as long as the pressure is confined, carbon dioxide gas is soluble in water. What happens when you remove the cap? Yes, the pressure escapes. This is followed by bubbles of carbon dioxide that seem to escape from the solution. The bubbles indicate that the carbon dioxide becomes less soluble when the pressure is lowered. This is true to gases. Their solubility decreases when the pressure is decreased.

A diver near the bottom of a river or sea is exposed to high concentration of gases. The pressure is greatest at the bottom, so gases are most soluble there. Gases can even get into the bloodstream of the diver and be dissolved in the blood. When  ascending, it is wisest that the diver does it slowly. Doing so would allow the gas to escape, before he gets to the surface. Should he do it fast, there would be no sufficient time for the gases to escape out of his body. Once at the surface, the gas would be insoluble and could form bubbles in the blood vessels, blocking the flow of blood. This condition could be fatal. Read more of its effects here.

Quiz here.

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