What is the important role of carbon dioxide in water?

Carbon dioxide is present in most natural waters. Carbon dioxide in water plays an important role for different sectors in environmental chemistry.

Coal is used to increase power generation for global industrialization. Again, huge amount of petroleum is being used to increase the number of motor vehicles.

As a result, huge amounts of carbon dioxide are entering the atmosphere from all these sources. The balance of this huge amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is maintained in two ways.

First, the plant absorbs CO2 for photosynthesis, and second, it dissolves large amounts of carbon dioxide in the world’s water. The sources of all these waters are the sea, oceans, rivers etc.

Carbon dioxide is a highly stable inert gas. Also CO2 can be in liquid and solid state.Since carbon dioxide is a non-metallic oxide, it has an acidic property.

Carbon Dioxide In Water Reaction

Carbon dioxide gas is highly soluble in water at normal temperature. This gas dissolves in water to produce mild and temporary bipolar carbonic acid.

Carbonic acid is not found in pure form. The acid is formed only when carbon dioxide is dissolved in water.

The aqueous solution of carbon dioxide turns the litmus paper color from blue to red. However, as the temperature increases, the solubility of CO2 in the water decreases.

Carbon dioxide gas is highly soluble in water. The solubility of carbon dioxide in water increases with increase in pressure at constant temperature.

Due to this property, it is used to make soda-water or similar drinks by dissolving excess CO2 gas in water at high pressure.

Carbon dioxide in water pH

Carbon dioxide is present in most natural waters. The aqueous solutions of carbon dioxide are acidic in nature. Its pH value ranges from 5.6 to 8.4.

Thus the content of carbon dioxide is related to the pH. As the amount of carbon dioxide increases, so the pH decreases.

Since carbon dioxide dissolves in water to produce carbonic acid, hence the pH value of water containing carbon dioxide exists between 5.6 and 8.4.

This is why carbon dioxide can be used as a way to control the pH of a switching pool.By constantly adding this gas to the water, the pH level cannot rise.

Carbon dioxide is soluble in water. It is for this reason that carbon dioxide maintains the pH of the blood, which is essential for survival.

Carbon dioxide neutralizes the pH of the blood through the action of carbonic acid-bicarbonate buffer. Carbonic acid can neutralize hydroxide ions, which will increase blood pH as they are added.

Bicarbonate ions can neutralize hydrogen ions, which when added can lower blood pH. Both increase and decrease of blood pH are harmful to human health.