The Yellowstone journal., 1894-11-08
,s';sExGgEdMeNs IS;
FACTS ABOUT SODA WATER.

Sc sea-. Il Usca n ~ Manufacture Ac-
cS-i;Es to Present Methods.
Many years ago a Frenchman con-
| coIvod the idea OF manufacturing car
donated water by mixing a solution OF
! tartaric acid with carbonate of soda.
The proportions used We're 30 grains of
/ acid and 10 grains Of the soda dissolved
/ In a wineglass of water. This was the
1 original soda water.
] The puhlic knows in a general way
making soda water, and the question is
4 sometimes asked. isn't marble dust
/ injurious 10 the system:' AS a matter
| of fact there is no marble dust, or, to use
! the technical term, carbonate of lime
in soda water. The part played by mar
! BILE dust in the process Of manufacturing
: soda water Is simply TO supply the car
bOuic acid gas with which the water Is
1 charged The same gas generated in
different manner gives froth TO beer,
/ lightcns bread and makes the bubbles IN
bucliwhcar cakes. This gas can be OBJ
/ tanned from carbonate of soda, carbon
| ate of magnesia, carbonate of lime or
I from any ether carbonate by treating il
! with an acid. Sulphuric acid is gener-
! ally used. The powdered carbonate Of
I Eme or marble dust. rs il is popularity
called, was until quite recently used al
most exclusively for this purpose be-
cause II is very cheap
To understand how the two chemicals
-sulphuric acid and carbonate of lime
! act when brought together the reader
may call to mind the mixing of a seid-
/ htz powder. The tartaric acid in the
white paper, when in solution, unites
/ with the carbonate Of soda in the blue
paper Effervescence at once takes place,
| carbonic acid gas being liberated and
tartrate of soda being formed. Although
| sature furnishes an unlimited quantity
| Of carbonates, almost any other acid,
strange to say, will drive out the car
bonic acid and usurp its place. This Is
seen in the mixing of seidlitz powder.
Now. this is exactly what takes place
~ the manufacture of soda water, ex-
sept that the gas, instead of being per
nitted to escape, is confineed 10 the gen.
exator. The generator is simply an ap-
|
Donate can be mixed conveniently. From
the generator the gas is conveyed to one
Of the portable steel foundations, the
appearance Of which is familiar TO the
public The fountain is about three
| Quarters full Of water. After quantity
| Of gas has entered the fountain II is
| well agitated. II is usual now to place
| H ON a cradle or rocker, and either by
hand or steam power to rock it for some
time, generally about half an honr, in
srder TO mix thoroughly the gas with
| the water. When this is done, the foun.
| tain is again connected with the genera
por, more acid is allowed TO reach the
| carbonate, more gas is formed, and the
same process is continued until the
pressure on the fountain shows $50
pounds to the square inch. The foun-
tain is then set aside, and another is
! put on in its place, and theprocess goes on
until the supply of gas in the carbonate
has all been extracted. The refuse Is
thrown away, and fresh supply of car
Sonate is placed in the generator. The
rfuse is s-lphate of lime. The sui.
yhuric acid has united with the lime,
and the carbonic acid gas has been lib.
Grated.
As has been said, marble dust has
been used in preference to any other
carbonate in the manufacture of soda
water because it is the cheapest. Quite
recently at least one firm in New York
substituted carbonate of magnesia- This
is little more expensive. On the other
hand, the decarboniZed magnesia in
stead of being thrown away like the
sulphate of lime, can be utilized. 1t is
pumped or drawn up TO q higher apart
ment, where il is strained and filtered
TO exclude all impurities and tested. 1t
is then placed in large evaporating pans
and allowed to crystalline. The product
is sulphate Of magnesia, better known
as epson salts.
The soda water business is exceeding
ly lucrative. The cost of manufacture
is from l to 2 cents per gallon, and the
product is sold for 10 cents Sirups cos
from 90 to 80 cents a gallon and are
sold from 45 to 75 cents. There are
generally about Ga glasses TO the gal
Ion, and soda water is sold for or 10
cents glass. Other artificial mineral
waters are sold for about 30 cents per
gallon. New York Sun.