Carbonic Acid

CARBONIC ACID

Carbonic acid is a chemical compound containing elements oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon. It has its other names as dihydrogen carbonate, acid of chalk, and acid of charcoal having a role as a mouse metabolite.it is a colorless granular powder. It is often named respiratory acid, the only acid exhaled by the human lungs in its gaseous state. Since it is a week of acid-forming carbonate and bicarbonate salts. It is the major natural bleaching agent in many temperate ecosystems.

It is also unstable acid and quickly dissociates into bicarbonate ions (HCO3–) and hydrogen ions (H+) as it goes partial dissociation in the presence of water. When Carbonic acid is dissolved in water, only a small amount of carbon dioxide is converted into carbonic acid in the chemical equilibrium. As this compound generally exists as a solution, the conjugate base corresponding to carbonic acid is the bicarbonate. It is a diprotic acid, as it can form two types of salts. It is freely soluble in water but not soluble in ethanol. It has a geometrical shape of Carbonic acid molecule is trigonal planar as by Lewis Structure we found that carbon and three oxygen atoms lie in the same plane.

USES AND APPLICATIONS FOR Carbonic Acid

It has several applications:

• It is widely used in different industries, especially in making beverages.
• It is widely used in the production of soft drinks, and other bubbly beverages.
• It is utilized in the preparation of carbonated water, sparkling wine, and other aerated drinks.
• It serves in the precipitation of many ammonium salts.
• The application of carbonic acid treats ringworm and other dermatitides.
• Solutions containing Carbonic acid are much effective in the cleaning of contact lenses.
• It can be consumed orally to induce vomiting.