Club soda

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A private-label-brand club soda as seen in Canada President's Choice Club Soda.jpg
A private-label-brand club soda as seen in Canada

Club soda is a form of carbonated water manufactured in North America, commonly used as a drink mixer. Sodium bicarbonate, potassium sulfate, potassium bicarbonate, potassium citrate, or sodium citrate is artificially added to replicate constituents commonly found in natural mineral waters [1] and offset the acidity of introducing carbon dioxide gas (which creates low 3–4 pH carbonic acid when dissolved in water [2] ).

Contents

Naturally effervescent Selters water from Germany gave rise to the generic use of the term for carbonated water, particularly from a soda siphon, in the United States as seltzer water. Seltzer water is artificially carbonated but lacks added minerals. [1] [3]

History

English chemist Joseph Priestley discovered an artificial method for producing carbonated water, described in a pamphlet called Directions for Impregnating Water with Fixed Air, published in 1772. The pamphlet explained the process of dripping sulfuric acid onto chalk, which produced carbon dioxide (CO2) that was captured in a bowl of agitated water. Priestley thought such carbonated water was a cure for scurvy and proposed the process to Captain James Cook to prevent scurvy during his second voyage to the South Seas. Priestley never realized the commercial potential of his product, though he did refer to it as his "happiest discovery." [4]

In 1783, Johann Jacob Schweppe, a jeweler and amateur scientist of Geneva, began the commercial production of carbonated mineral water by dissolving the CO2 under pressure. [5] In 1807, Benjamin Silliman, a Yale chemistry professor, began producing carbonated water under pressure and selling it in New Haven, Connecticut. In the 1830s, Anyos Jedlik of Hungary opened a large-scale carbonated water factory. The original trademarked club soda was made by Cantrell & Cochrane of Dublin, Ireland in 1877. The 'club' refers to the Kildare Street Club in Dublin, which commissioned them to produce it. [6]

As stain remover

The dissolved gas in carbonated water acts as a temporary surfactant, causing it to be recommended as a household remedy for removing stains, particularly those of red wine. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

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In inorganic chemistry, bicarbonate is an intermediate form in the deprotonation of carbonic acid. It is a polyatomic anion with the chemical formula HCO
3
.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carbon dioxide</span> Chemical compound with formula CO₂

Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula CO2. It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature, and as the source of available carbon in the carbon cycle, atmospheric CO2 is the primary carbon source for life on Earth. In the air, carbon dioxide is transparent to visible light but absorbs infrared radiation, acting as a greenhouse gas. Carbon dioxide is soluble in water and is found in groundwater, lakes, ice caps, and seawater. When carbon dioxide dissolves in water, it forms carbonate and mainly bicarbonate, which causes ocean acidification as atmospheric CO2 levels increase.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carbonate</span> Salt or ester of carbonic acid

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Sodium bicarbonate (IUPAC name: sodium hydrogencarbonate), commonly known as baking soda or bicarbonate of soda, is a chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. It is a salt composed of a sodium cation (Na+) and a bicarbonate anion (HCO3). Sodium bicarbonate is a white solid that is crystalline but often appears as a fine powder. It has a slightly salty, alkaline taste resembling that of washing soda (sodium carbonate). The natural mineral form is nahcolite. It is a component of the mineral natron and is found dissolved in many mineral springs.

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Potassium bitartrate, also known as potassium hydrogen tartrate, with formula KC4H5O6, is a chemical compound with a number of uses. It is the potassium acid salt of tartaric acid (a carboxylic acid). In cooking, it is known as cream of tartar.

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Calcium bicarbonate, also called calcium hydrogencarbonate, has the chemical formula Ca(HCO3)2. The term does not refer to a known solid compound; it exists only in aqueous solution containing calcium (Ca2+), bicarbonate (HCO
3
), and carbonate (CO2−
3
) ions, together with dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2). The relative concentrations of these carbon-containing species depend on the pH; bicarbonate predominates within the range 6.36–10.25 in fresh water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alkali soil</span> Soil type with pH > 8.5

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Selters</span> German brand of natural mineral water

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Factitious airs was a term used for synthetic gases which emerged around 1670 when Robert Boyle coined the term upon isolating what is now understood to be hydrogen. Factitious means "artificial, not natural", so the term means "man-made gases".

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References

  1. 1 2 Funston, Lindsay (April 27, 2018). "What Is Seltzer – Is Seltzer Bad For You". Delish. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
  2. James Monroe Jay; Martin J. Loessner; David Allen Golden (2005). Modern food microbiology. シュプリンガー・ジャパン株式会社. p. 210. ISBN   978-0-387-23180-8.
  3. Julie R. Thomson (31 October 2014). "The Difference Between Club Soda, Seltzer And Tonic Water". HuffPost.
  4. Johnson, Steven. The Invention of Air.
  5. Simmons, David A. (1983). Schweppes The First 200 Years. Washington D.C.: Acropolis Books. p. 13. ISBN   0-87491-536-8.
  6. "Origin of the Words Seltzer and Club Soda for Soda Water". culinarylore.com. September 28, 2012.
  7. Wishnok, Pete. "How does club soda remove red wine stains?". Scientific American. Retrieved 15 April 2016.