– Why so bubbles form inside a glass of water at room temp if you let it sit long enough?

Question

Why do bubbles form on the inside of a glass of water at room temperature if left alone long enough? Is it essentially underwater evaporation that gets stuck on the side of the glass?

If so, does that mean that tiny microscopic bubbles are forming in the middle of the glass and successfully finding their way to the top all the time?

If both statements are true, this would kinda be the ultimate expression of “a watched pot never boils.” Or maybe I’m just crazy, you tell me.

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

Expanding slightly on u/borkfast’s excellent explanation, what you see in the glass left overnight is basically what you see immediately in a glass of poured champagne: dissolved gases coming out of solution at points of nucleation. There’s just way more dissolved gas in a carbonated beverage than there is in tap water.