system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Is it possible to "carbonate" liquids with other gasses?

What is special about carbon dioxide?  can we use other gasses to "carbonate" a liquid instead? If so why c02. If not why can't we.
gpt
Many gases (like N2 and O2) dissolve in water.  But carbon dioxide is special because it doesn't just dissolve, it *reacts* with water to form carbonate and bicarbonate ions:

CO2 + H2O --> 2 H^+ + CO3^--

CO2 + H2O --> H^+ + HCO3^-

This releases hydrogen ions into the water, making it acidic, which is why carbonated water is tart.

This reaction removes CO2 *per se* from the water, making room for more to dissolve in: as a result, you can pack *much* more CO2 in water than you can other gases.  Like, 100 times as much!

This means that beverages made with CO2 are a lot bubblier than ones made with, say, nitrogen.  Guinness beer, for instance, is nitrogenized rather than carbonated: that's why it has less "head", tiny bubbles, and less tartness than other beers.

There are a few other gases that react with water when they dissolve: two good examples are sulfur dioxide (SO2) and ammonia (NH3).  However, if you try to make a beverage out of them they will kill you, so CO2 is the best choice for drinkmaking.