If the soda sample was not flat at the beginning of lab and carbonation remained, how would this specifically affect your determination of mass for citric acid in a 2L bottle of diet soda? Would it make your mass too high, too low, or would it not affect your mass of citric acid? Why?
If the soda sample was not flat at the beginning of the lab and carbonation remained, it would affect your determination of mass for citric acid in a 2L bottle of diet soda. Specifically, it would make your mass too high.
Here's why:
1. Calculation of mass: To determine the mass of citric acid in the soda, you would typically weigh the bottle before and after the experiment, subtracting the initial mass from the final mass to find the difference. Since carbonation adds bubbles and expands the volume of the soda, it would increase the overall mass of the soda.
2. Role of carbonation: Carbonation is primarily achieved by dissolving carbon dioxide gas into the liquid. When the soda is initially carbonated, carbon dioxide gas is dissolved under pressure. However, if the soda is not flat and carbonation remains, the carbon dioxide gas will continue to be released over time, leading to the formation of bubbles. These bubbles contribute to the overall volume of the soda and increased mass.
3. Influence on citric acid determination: Citric acid is a solid dissolved in the soda, and its mass should be determined based on the weight change between the initial and final conditions. However, when carbonation remains and the soda is not flat, the presence of carbon dioxide gas bubbles would increase the mass of the soda, including the citric acid dissolved within it. As a result, the mass would be measured as higher than it actually is, leading to an overestimation of the mass of citric acid.
In conclusion, if the soda sample was not flat at the beginning of the lab and carbonation remained, it would make your mass determination of citric acid in the 2L bottle of diet soda too high. This is because the presence of carbonation increases the overall mass of the soda, including the citric acid dissolved within it.