Which soda loses carbonation faster

Sign in. Thanks for reading Scientific American. Create your free account or Sign in to continue. See Subscription Options. Discover World-Changing Science. Materials Two cans of cold soda Tablespoon of sugar Tablespoon of salt Tablespoon of oil Four cups Measuring cup capable of measuring one-quarter cup Teaspoon Preparation Measure one-quarter cup of soda into each cup.

Procedure Slowly add one tablespoon of sugar to the first cup. What happens to the soda when you add sugar? Notice the reaction and what you hear, see and even smell!

Move on to the next cup of soda. Slowly add one tablespoon of salt. What happens to the soda when you add the salt? Notice the reaction and what you hear, see and smell. Move on to the next cup and slowly add one tablespoon of olive oil. What happens to the soda when you add the oil? Taste the fourth cup of soda with nothing added. This is your control soda. Use a teaspoon to taste a very small amount of the soda to which you added sugar.

What do you notice about the taste of the control soda compared with the sugar-added one? Is one more bubbly tasting than the other? The squeezing method wont work unless you squeeze the bottle and keep it squeezed until you open the bottle the next time.

The squeezed up bottle wont retain its shape and will try to get back to its original shape, this will force the CO2 to come out. You end up doing the exact opposite of the fizz pumper cap. More pressure, more fizzy the drink stays. Fizz pump Less pressure, the CO2 escapes, soda less fizzy. Keep it cold. Keep it capped. Don't squeeze the bottle. Don't stand on your head.

Don't pray to goofy idols. Check out gas laws on Khan Academy if you want to know the facts. That said, the gas wants to escape the liquid that it is trapped in. If it has room, it WILL escape. Squeezing the bottle only gives it more room to expand, therefore leaving the liquid Leaving the liquid flat. Temperature plays a big part on whether or not a gas stays or leaves.

You do the math, a warmer gas expands and elevates, a colder gas contracts and stays. You will actually make the soda worse by using a "fizz saver" gadget that pumps air into the bottle, such as the illustrated "Fizz Keeper" cap. This is exactly because of the "partial pressure" reason mentioned later in the article. There are many soda bottle "dispenser cap" gadgets available which do not let outside air into the bottle while they pour the liquid out.

Try using those. I have found it helpful to screw the cap back on tightly once you have taken out some soda to drink and shake the bottle vigorously. Put back in refrig.

The bottle becomes very hard so its seems like a vacuum seal. Of course I wouldnt do this if someone was coming back in 5 minutes to reopen. But I have never had it explode o n me and it seems "fizzier" and fresher this way.

Soda bottle caps are designed not reseal tightly once the cap seal ring is broken upon opening, so they will go flat. If you buy o-rings the same diameter as the inside of the cap, put one inside the cap, squeeze the air space out of the bottle, and screw down the cap tightly, the soda will be fizee a very long time.

The "fizz keeper" which pumps air into the drink bottle will NOT increase the carbonation of the soda. It is a hoax. Henry's law states that the amount of dissolved gas in a solution is a function of the partial pressure of THAT gas above the liquid. Crushing the bottle is probably the worst thing you can do, unless you clamp it or something like that to keep it from inflating back to its original size, try to crush a soda bottle and take time lapse photos of it and see how the bottle inflates back to its original size by the gas from the drink.

Also, closing the cap as tightly as you can is not very helpful, you only need to close it as tight as it was closed when it was still sealed this tightness holds up the gas usually much longer than the bottle will be in your fridge , closing the cap very tightly only ruins the gasket and making it less efficient and will result in unwanted gas loss. The only thing that will efficiently sustain the gas in the drink is a pressurized environment, you can achieve that by either compressing gas back to the bottle, or moving the drink to a smaller container, a process which is not that recommended for it causes gas loss as well.

If you close the soda bottles too tightly everyone will hate you for it and your soda will still go flat! I appreciate the equations, but they don't care. These people are just looking for the answer. I think you've summed it up quite eloquently but To make it lose fizz even faster, start with a room temperature can or bottle.

The warmer the drink, the faster the bubbles escape. This is why a bottle of soda kept in the refrigerator keeps its fizz longer after opening than it would if left on a countertop. Shaking the bottle a bit before pouring will also release loads of carbon dioxide bubbles once you remove the lid, making the soda go flat faster. This is best done with a previously opened bottle that has lots of space in it for the bubbles to foam; otherwise, the foam may squirt out of the top, making a mess.

If shaking a full or nearly full bottle, perform a controlled release of gases by unscrewing the lid only slightly, until foam rises. Immediately tighten the lid until the foam subsides a bit. Repeat the process until the soda can be poured without it fizzing and foaming all over. Warming the soda up in a saucepan will remove the carbonation even faster than the other methods. Heat the liquid on low, stirring gently to help release bubbles. Pour some of the beverage back into a glass and give it a test sip once it reaches room temperature.