Soda Can Design

Originally posted by junglejake
? The can I have now looks exactly as I remember the cans growing up, but if the change was subtle or gradual, I could understand how I would miss it. What have they done to change the cans, and how did it work?

Yep. The "technology" has nothing to do with the can. Pressure will build up in the can no matter what shape they make it or what material they make it out of. Remember that the ideal gas law is P = nRT/V. The only things that will affect the pressure in the can are the number of molecules of gas, the temperature, and the volume. R is just a scalar constant.

The "technology" of the actual soda is what is in quesion. They use carbonic acid in the soda. Without higher pressures, it turns into a gas. So, if you pressurize it in a soda can, it will stay a liquid and take up less space. When you open the can, the pressure goes and the gas escapes.

Carbonic acid is kinetically unstable, and it can be turned into a gas simply by being shaken. It takes a LOOOOOONG time for the gas to re-equilibrate into the liquid. High amounts of sugar make it take longer.

Anyway, I have recently dropped soda cans before, and allowed them to sit for 2 minutes, and they still explode.

Keep in mind the name of Penn and Teller's show.