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How does the fizz apear in my glass? Why does it rise to the top?
Question Date: 2005-04-15
Answer 1:

I am assuming that you are talking about your soft drink. The fizz that you can see when you open a bottle or can of soft drink is actually a gas named carbon dioxide. This gas was added to the drink at very cold temperature. At low temperatures more CO2 is soluble in water than at refrigerator temperature. What this means is that all the excess CO2 that was put into your beverage at very low temperature wants to escape as soon as you open the bottle or can. This makes the fizzy noise.

Since CO2 is a gas and less dense than water, it bubbles to the top. By the way, did you know that adding CO2 to your beverage makes the beverage safe to drink because the CO2 keeps some microorganisms (bacteria for example) from growing in it?


Answer 2:

The "Fizz" in your glass is actually carbon dioxide gas (the same gas you breathe out) that is put into soda when the soda is put into cans at the factory. When you open a soda can, it makes a fizzing sound because the gas pressure is released. This "fizz" rises to the top because it is really small bubbles of gas which float in the soda (the density of a gas is lower than the density of a liquid).



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