Does Dry Ice Dissolve in Water?

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SUMMARY

Dry ice, or solid carbon dioxide, is not highly soluble in water; however, it does dissolve to some extent, primarily forming carbonic acid. The solubility of carbon dioxide in water is influenced by factors such as temperature, partial pressure, pH, and impurities. While using dry ice to carbonate beverages is possible, it is not recommended due to potential contamination from compressor oils. Homebrewers often utilize techniques like adding corn sugar or using fresh sterile wort for carbonation, which can lead to microbial contamination and unintended alcohol production.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of solubility principles and factors affecting solubility
  • Knowledge of carbon dioxide behavior in aqueous solutions
  • Familiarity with homebrewing techniques and carbonation methods
  • Awareness of food safety standards regarding beverage carbonation
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the solubility of gases in liquids, focusing on carbon dioxide
  • Learn about the process of carbonation in beverages using food-grade CO2
  • Explore homebrewing techniques, specifically krausening for carbonation
  • Investigate the effects of impurities on the quality of carbonated drinks
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for homebrewers, beverage manufacturers, and anyone interested in the chemistry of carbonation and the safe use of dry ice in food and drink applications.

prat
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is solid carbon dioxide(dry ice) soluble in water
 
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Everything is soluble in everything, the question becomes how soluble? Solubility of carbon dioxide depends on temperature (dry ice is cold), partial pressure of CO2 in the air above, pH, metal impurities etc.

You may want to do some googling or literature searches. Dissolved carbon dioxide is found as carbonic acid/carbonates in water which are not the most soluble compounds but do dissolve to an extent varying with factors such as those stated above.
 
Carbon dioxide is soluble in water. Although much of the carbon dioxide will escape as a gas when you put dry ice into water, some of the carbon dioxide will dissolve in the water and make the water carbonated.
 
If your intention is to make sparkling water to drink, don't do it as the Dry Ice is generally contaminated by compressor oils at a few ppm. Food grade CO2 for making sodas is specially refined to be palatable.

Homebrewers have used a technique for carbonation at bottling that uses an addition of corn sugar calculated to add 1-2 volumes of CO2 to the stillbeer. More advanced brewers use fresh sterile wort calculated to do the same thing in a process called krausening. Popped bottles are a sign that some microbial contamination creates enzymatically excess fermentable sugars from the unfermented carbohydrates left in the "still" beer.
Obviously this is not controllable to make a sweet soda,and small amounts of alcohol are the byproduct of the carbonation.
 

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