Why did my glass bottle explode?

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SUMMARY

The glass 2L bottle exploded due to a significant buildup of pressure from gas generated by the decomposition of litchis in water. Despite the cap being tightly sealed, gas escaped through a small opening, allowing pressure to accumulate. When the bottle was lifted, the pressure likely caused the bottom to break off, resulting in a loss of both water and litchis. This incident highlights the dangers of sealing organic materials in airtight containers without proper pressure relief.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of redox reactions and gas production
  • Knowledge of pressure dynamics in sealed containers
  • Familiarity with the properties of glass under stress
  • Basic principles of fluid dynamics
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the effects of fermentation in sealed environments
  • Learn about pressure relief mechanisms for airtight containers
  • Study the structural integrity of glass under varying pressure conditions
  • Explore safety protocols for handling organic materials in closed systems
USEFUL FOR

Individuals interested in chemistry, safety engineers, and anyone experimenting with organic decomposition in sealed environments will benefit from this discussion.

Watari
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Five days ago, I filled a glass 2L bottle about halfway with litchis, then filled the bottle with water till the end and sealed it with its cap. I was curious to see how it decomposes in there. This morning, about 1/7th of the water was lying in a puddle around the bottle. I could see gas escaping from the litchis as a result of the decomposing redox reaction (correct me if I'm wrong). Even though I turned the cap as tightly as I could, it seems that there was enough pressure building up and enough of an opening between the cap and the bottle for quite an amount of water to escape. I then lifted the bottle up and all of a sudden the bottom of the bottle simply breaks off the bottle, resulting in all the water and litchis falling down on my carpet.

This means there was quite some pressure that was building up in the bottle. I suspect that the gas was building up in the top of the bottle and was pushing the water down, and as soon as I lifted the bottle, it simply pushed the bottom to break. But what I find strange is that water was able to leak out despite the lid, so I would expect that the gas, which is much less dense than the water, to also leak out. Instead it was able to build up to such a level that it broke the bottle.

Could someone explain to me what happened here?
 
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It's more likely that the bottle cracked and leaked at the bottom. When you picked it up, it completely separated.
 
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