The Baron of Bubbles
\nThe Sultan of Soda
\nThe Ayatollah of Coca-Cola<\/p>\n
Cocktail Party Physics: father of fizz<\/a><\/p>\n In honor of ” Pepsipocalypse<\/a>,” and my own inordinate fondness for Diet Coke (which I share with Bora<\/a>!, as evidenced by the photo at the end of this post, although he’s partial to the sugared variety), it seems appropriate to pay tribute to the grand-daddy of fizzy drinks: British scientist Joseph Priestley<\/a>. He didn’t actually invent carbonation, which is a natural process: at high pressures underground, spring water can absorb carbon dioxide and become “effervescent.” “Seltzer” originally referred to the mineral water naturally produced in springs near a German town called Niederseltsers, although today, it’s pretty much just filtered tap water that’s been artificially carbonated. No, Priestley is responsible for the artificial carbonation process, along with “discovering” oxygen (more on that, and the caveats, later) and eight other gases, including carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide (laughing gas).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u2014\u2014<\/p>\n What to call it: I have previously linked to a Soda vs Pop<\/a> map<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Baron of Bubbles The Sultan of Soda The Ayatollah of Coca-Cola Cocktail Party Physics: father of fizz In honor of ” Pepsipocalypse,” and my own inordinate fondness for Diet Coke (which I share with Bora!, as evidenced by the … Continue reading