Club soda is a manufactured form of

carbonated water Carbonated water (also known as soda water, sparkling water, fizzy water, club soda, water with gas, in many places as mineral water, or especially in the United States as seltzer or seltzer water) is water containing dissolved carbon dioxide gas, ...

, commonly used as a drink mixer.

Sodium bicarbonate 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−) ...

, potassium sulfate, potassium bicarbonate, potassium citrate, or sodium citrate is artificially added to replicate constituents commonly found in natural mineral waters and offset the acidity of introducing carbon dioxide gas (which creates low 3-4 ph carbonic acid when dissolved in water). 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.

History

English chemist Joseph Priestley discovered an artificial method for producing

, described in a pamphlet called ''Directions for Impregnating Water with Fixed Air,'' published in 1772. The pamphlet explained the process of dripping

sulfuric acid Sulfuric acid (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphuric acid ( Commonwealth spelling), known in antiquity as oil of vitriol, is a mineral acid composed of the elements sulfur, oxygen and hydrogen, with the molecular formu ...

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 James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...

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." 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. 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.

As stain remover

The dissolved gas in carbonated water acts as a temporary

surfactant Surfactants are chemical compounds that decrease the surface tension between two liquids, between a gas and a liquid, or interfacial tension between a liquid and a solid. Surfactants may act as detergents, wetting agents, emulsifiers, foaming ...

, causing it to be recommended as a household remedy for removing stains, particularly those of red wine.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Club soda Carbonated drinks Carbonated water Soft drinks

History

As stain remover

See also

References