Thread: Citric acid and bicarb - effects of pressure

Hi,

I'm a mechanical engineer trying to have some fun with my kids making soda at home and have a few questions about the reaction of citric acid with Bicarbonate of soda. I will mix both with H2O as a 50% solution.

I probably should know this but my comprehension of gas laws were always sketchy so please if you can help, dumb it down for me!

I wish to calculate the theoretical pressure at which the reaction between the two agents will stop producing CO2. I can calculate the expected volume of CO2 for a given solution at room temperature and pressure, but as I will be conducting this in an enclosed volume I wish to know if the reaction will become surpressed at a given pressure. Ideally it would continue once some pressure was released.

Is it further complicated by the fact that some of the container holding the acid and carbonate solution will hold air, if so how will the compression of the air inside this volume effect the point when the suppresion of the reaction would take place?

Can anyone help?

Thanks in advance.

Originally Posted by Mungo

I will mix both with H2O as a 50% solution.

To clarify, I mean I will be adding two aqeuos solutions together at once to start the reaction. One will have sodium bicarbonate and water, the other citric acid (Monohydrate) and water.

Thanks

Many thanks for that. That's my lunch hours sorted for the next week. Cheers for your help.