Can a bean grow in soda?

Answer 1

A plant of any type is unlikely to grow in soda alone.

For growth to occur Several things are needed:

A Carbon source (CO2 for plants)

Water

Nutrients

The Carbon a plant needs comes from atmospheric CO2, and Nutrients generally come from the soil. Plants DO grow in Water and Nutrient mixes everyday in a process called Hydroponics, so we would almost be there if Nutrients were added to the Soda. However Soda contains high levels of sugar and this is where it may all go wrong for the plant.

Plants take water into their roots using a process called 'Osmosis', where water moves through a membrane from an area of Low concentration to areas of High concentration. For a plant this means that ground water which has a Low Sugar content moves through the outer layers of the root and into the Xylem where the Plant's Sap has a High Sugar concentration.

If the Sugar content of the Soda is The Same as the Plant's sap then we won't get any movement of water into the roots. However if the Sugar concentration of the Soda is Higherthan the Plant's sap we end up in the situation where water may be Drawn Out of the plant and into the soda. As the water from the soda is evaporated the sugar concentration will increase resulting in more water being drawn from the plant, leading to death of the plant.