Great Hungarian Discoveries: The Soda Water
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We have already reported about great Hungarian inventions and discoveries such as Vitamin C, the ballpoint pen, and the Ford Model T. Now, we introduce the exciting story of the soda water and its master, Ányos Jedlik.
The discovery of soda water
Soda water is not the same as mineral water because it is simple water that contains carbon dioxide mostly without any minerals, vitamins, or other ingredients. The soda water was discovered accidentally by Joseph Priestley, a British pastor, in 1767. He was told to be an adventurous man, who liked doing experiments. As he did not possess any qualifications in science, he often came up with wrong conclusions. When he saw gas compounds sinking to the bottom of the room in a brewery, he came up with the idea that it was ‘heavy’ air. After he had managed to create it at home, he discovered that it gives a lovely twist when adding it to water.
A breakthrough in soda’s history
Even though soda water has already existed, it could not have been produced in bigger amounts due to the lack of production technology. Then, Ányos Jedlik invented the machine called the ‘apparatus acidularis’ (sour water device) making bulk manufacturing possible.
