• Question: do fizzy drinks contain acid?

    Asked by whtristan to Blanka, Emma, Mike on 5 Jul 2012.
    • Photo: Michael Cook

      Michael Cook answered on 5 Jul 2012:

      They certainly are acidic! Lots of acids are perfectly safe though – citric acid is often used to make things more sour, for example, but it’s pretty harmless in small amounts. And tasty!

    • Photo: Emma Trantham

      Emma Trantham answered on 5 Jul 2012:

      When carbon dioxide (which is what puts the fizz in fizzy drinks) is dissolved in water it makes an acidic solution (only mildly – nothing to panic about). Other things in fizzy drinks like (as Mike said) citric acid can contribute to this too.

      Have you ever tried putting a dirty copper coin in a glass of coke? Cleans the coin a treat! (Don’t drink the coke afterwards!)

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