Which solution will have more gas dissolved in it a solution under high pressure or one under low pressure?

Answer 1

We pondered this question for what seemed an eternity, and could not have been

less than literally several seconds. Then we experienced an intense rush of "ah ha"

blended with "eureka".

Consider the lowly 2-liter bottle of soda, just arrived from the market, and a thirsty

teen, ice tray in hand, ready to pounce and initiate it while you unload and store

the rest of the groceries.

He clamps the bottle cap firmly in his teeth, grips the plastic bottle with both hands, and

feverishly unscrews the bottle from the cap. After the first half-turn, the seal is broken

and with a nasty HISSSS, the high pressure inside the bottle meets the low pressure of

the kitchen, and the soda instantly settles to the pressure in the room.

NOW what happens ? It's the answer to your question. Does kitchen air rush into the

bottle and dissolve in the soda as soon as the pressure in the bottle drops ? Or does the

CO2 that was dissolved in the soda since it left the bottling plant suddenly erupt out of

solution and shoot out of the bottle like Yellowstone's Old Faithful ?

We've seen many eruptions, but never a great inrush of kitchen air into the solution made

hungry for more dissolved gas because of lower pressure.