system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Do shaken soda bottles reabsorb the bubbles...and how long does it take?

Topic.
gpt
Yes.

When you shake the soda bottle, CO2 that is dissolved in the soda is released into the headspace, the empty space between the cap and soda. The pressure in the headspace will rise. Particularly if the soda is cold, this pressure difference between the headspace and soda will over time cause the CO2 to redissolve until the pressure is equalized. Warmer soda means less CO2 can be dissolved.

I can't answer the "how long does it take," part. But if you wait long enough (a couple days?) it will redissolve and the soda won't be flat.


If you were to open the soda at any point, that CO2 in the headspace would escape. If you close it back up, there is again a pressure difference, this time the headspace pressure is lower and even more CO2 comes out of solution. Next time you open the soda, it's that much more flat.