Prior to science lab, Maria had been drinking a can of soda. When she walked into the lab she set it down on the hot plate at her station. She heard a liquid beginning to boil, and realized that the previous students had forgotten to turn off the hotplate and the boiling noise was from the remaining soda in the can. Without thinking, she picked up the can with her bare hands, and put it upside down into the sink which was half full of liquid. Immediately the can crushed as though it was going to be recycled. What do you think is happening to the soda and air in the can? Support you claim in Question 4, by explaining why you think it is happening. Formulate your hypothesis for the problem. Critique Maria's laboratory safety procedures.

The hypothesis as to what happened to the soda and the air in the can are as follows;

The solubility of air in the soda is high at low temperatures, such that air (carbon dioxide, CO₂) is trapped in the soda and when it is drank, it gives it its fresh taste

By placing the can of soda on the hot plate, drives off the air in the soda such that the space directly above the liquid soda is filled with the original air (carbon dioxide), in the soda

By dipping the soda upside down in the sink half filled with water, the soda is cooled down and the air (carbon dioxide) directly above the surface of the liquid soda is reabsorbed into the liquid soda, such that if the lid of the soda is sealed, the vacuum created by the empty space directly above the liquid soda becomes a region of low pressure and the combined pressure from the atmosphere and the liquid level in the sink, causes the can to immediately crushed (deformed).

Explanation: