Carbonate Equilibrium
Definition
The linked chain of reversible reactions connecting gaseous carbon dioxide, dissolved carbon dioxide, carbonic acid, bicarbonate, and carbonate in water. It is the dominant buffer system in natural waters.
The full chain runs CO2(g) to CO2(aq) to H2CO3 to HCO3- plus H+ to CO3 2- plus 2H+, proceeding in either direction depending on conditions. It regulates blood pH, ocean and groundwater chemistry, and industrial buffering, scale formation, acid demand, and condensate corrosion. There is no true starting point because it is a chain of reversible reactions whose position is set by concentration, pH, temperature, and pressure. It does not arrive in water, it evolves through equilibrium.
Related concepts
pH Drift · CO2 Stripping · Buffering (Bicarbonate Buffer)
How it connects
- this drives Alkalinity
- this drives Carbonate Speciation
- this enables Buffering (Bicarbonate Buffer)
Part of The Blueprint of Water · 🧪 chemistry