REEF CHEMISTRY QUESTION OF THE DAY: Carbon dioxide in room air is a big source of carbon dioxide to a reef aquarium, and a primary reason that the pH of many reef aquariums is lower than the ocean. A primary source of carbon dioxide is the CO2 that people exhale after metabolizing foods. It turns out that a doubling of the CO2 level in the air (to 2x normal) will result in about a 0.3 pH unit drop in the pH of seawater that is equilibrated with it. This question deals with how much carbon dioxide comes from human activities. After a long afternoon of mowing the lawn on a hot summer day, you come into your living room (15 x 22 x 8), pop open a 12-oz (~335 mL) Coca-Cola, and drink it while you watch your reef tank. Assuming that there is no other source of excess carbon dioxide in your living room, and that all of the carbon dioxide comes from the cola (both by carbonation and by your complete metabolism of the sugar in it), about how much would the CO2 in your living room rise? A. to between 1.0x and 1.2x normal B. to ~1.5x normal C. to ~3x normal D. to ~5x normal E. to ~8x normal F. to more than 10x normal Assume no gas exchange to outside the room or with the aquarium. 5x means the room has five times the normal amount of CO2 in outdoor air. Also assume this Coke used real sugar, as opposed to high fructose corn syrup, although I doubt that makes a big difference. Bonus question: which effect is the larger contributor to the room CO2: the carbonation in the can, or your metabolism of the sugar? reef2reef/forums/reef-chemistry-randy-holmes-farley/181217-reef-chemistry-question-day-61-gas-exchange-2-a.html ow.ly/i/7BSU1
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 18:30:17 +0000
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