Carbonic acid is a heavy gas —it extinguishes fire and destroys all animal life. If an animal attempts to breathe it pure, there is spasmodic closure of the glottis and the animal dies as ...

The acid cannot be isolated from the solution and so is often simply written as CO 2 (aq). Carbonic acid causes the acidity in fizzy drinks. This is used as a test for carbon dioxide. When carbon ...