# Volume of dissolved carbon dioxide in soft drinks **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 9, 2021, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/volume-of-dissolved-carbon-dioxide-in-soft-drinks/950392 "2021-09-09T18:36:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2021, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/volume-of-dissolved-carbon-dioxide-in-soft-drinks/950392/21 "2021-09-10T00:16:34Z")
> [@glowacks](#): > > as a chemistry student after learning about what happens when you add alcohol to water found the idea of ABV way too nebulous. IIRC if you mix a liter of water and liter of ethanol you will get less then 2 liters (about 3% less, I think). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2021, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/volume-of-dissolved-carbon-dioxide-in-soft-drinks/950392/22 "2021-09-10T01:54:07Z")
It’s also worth mentioning that carbon dioxide in water isn’t precisely a solution. Some of it is in solution, but mostly you have a chemical reaction where the carbon dioxide and water combine to form carbonic acid. Which can then, at low pressure, separate back into carbon dioxide and water. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2021, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/volume-of-dissolved-carbon-dioxide-in-soft-drinks/950392/23 "2021-09-10T01:55:23Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > The discussion of maple confection you linked deals with supersaturated solutions, which is not at equilibrium. Weird things can happen in such solutions, and you aren’t getting anywhere near those conditions with the humming bird syrup you’re mixing. … I know? I specifically stated that what made me curious was noting that 3 cups of water plus a cup of sugar took up no more volume, as far as I could tell with the naked eye, than 3 cups of water alone. The link was about why a different poster who described having more volume of syrup than water when making syrup would have a different experience than I would. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2021, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/volume-of-dissolved-carbon-dioxide-in-soft-drinks/950392/24 "2021-09-10T02:12:37Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Some of it is in solution, but mostly you have a chemical reaction where the carbon dioxide and water combine to form carbonic acid. Not mostly - [about 1% of the dissolved CO2 forms carbonic acid.](https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2014/10/22/new-insights-on-carbonic-acid-in-water/) Enough to wreak havoc in the oceans, but not enough to make a big difference in our volume calcs. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2021, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/volume-of-dissolved-carbon-dioxide-in-soft-drinks/950392/25 "2021-09-10T09:42:42Z")
I’m the OP, chiming in to say: I didn’t realize what a can of worms I was opening! Thank you **all** for your comments! ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2021, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/volume-of-dissolved-carbon-dioxide-in-soft-drinks/950392/26 "2021-09-10T11:54:39Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > I didn’t realize what a can of worms I was opening! Worms are what make for the best threads. Keep on asking. ---
**Author:** ![slalexan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@slalexan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slalexan)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2021, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/volume-of-dissolved-carbon-dioxide-in-soft-drinks/950392/27 "2021-09-10T16:21:06Z")
> [@naita](#): > > D: CO2 stays in the water while it is under pressure. Once it is out of the can it starts coming out of solution. Adding nucleation sites speeds up that process. Using it to water a plant adds _a lot_ of nucleation sites. On top of that, living things often don’t like gas where things are supposed to be liquid because gas and liquids behave differently under pressure, among other things. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/volume-of-dissolved-carbon-dioxide-in-soft-drinks/950392.md?page=1)