"INTRODUCTIONSoft drinks are one of the most recognized parts of Western culture. Beginning as tonics forfatigue and anything else that might be the matter with a patient, they have evolved intosweet bubbly accompaniments to hamburgers and French fries and other widely recognizedparts of Western culture. Most soft drinks are characterized by carbonated water, sugar, andcaffeine. Variations in soft drinks generally advertise either flavor differences, or the absenceof one or more of the three main ingredients. Basically a soft drink is a drink that typically contains carbonated water, a sweetener and anatural or artificial flavoring. The sweetener may be sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, fruitjuice, sugar substitutes (in the case of diet drinks) or some combination of these. Soft drinksmay also contain caffeine, colorings, preservatives and other ingredients. Soft drinks may beserved chilled, over ice cubes or at room temperature. In rare cases, some soft drinks, such asDr Pepper, can be served warm. Soft drinks are available in many formats, including cans,glass bottles and plastic bottles (the latter in a variety of sizes ranging from small bottles tolarge 2 liter containers). Soft drinks are also widely available at fast food restaurants, movietheaters, convenience stores, casual dining restaurants, and bars from soda fountain machines.Soda fountain drinks are typically served in paper or plastic disposable cups in the first threevenues. In casual dining restaurants and bars, soft drinks are often served in glasses. Softdrinks may be drunk with straws or sipped directly from the cups.Soft drinks are mixed with other ingredients in several contexts. In Western countries, in barsand other places where alcohol is served (e.g., airplanes, restaurants and nightclubs) manymixed drinks are made by blending a soft drink with hard liquor and serving the drink overice. One well-known example is the rum and coke, which may also contain lime juice. Some homemade fruit punch recipes, which may or may not contain alcohol, contain a mixture ofvarious fruit juices and soda pop (e.g., ginger ale). At ice cream parlours and 1950s-themeddiners, ice cream floats are often sold.The largest segment of the soft drink industry is the colas. Colas were originally blends ofextracts of the coca leaf and the cola nut, mixed with sugar water. The coca leaf is no longerused, but the cola nut remains in the recipes that are public, and reportedly is also still in thesecret Coca-Cola recipe. The cola nut comes from the Ivory Coast in Africa, primarily fromtwo species of trees, Cola acuminata, and Cola nitida. The main active ingredients in the colanut are the alkaloids caffeine and theobromine ("food of the gods"). Colas stimulate digestivejuices, and carbonated water speeds the digestion, and the combination of effects, along withthe stimulant action of the two alkaloids, can make a difference to someone who is notfeeling well.Sugar has been largely replaced by high fructose corn syrup , largely because the latter is notprice controlled, and is a little bit sweeter, so less is needed. The artificial sweeteneraspartame is the low-calorie sweetener of choice, having replaced cyclamates and saccharinas the favorites. The sweeteners neotame, acesulfame, and sucralose are sometimes used.Caffeine is added as a stimulant, but it has a bitter taste that is a component in many softdrinks. The soft drink that we consume on a day to day basis contains a number of componentsincluding acids in it. Acids are added to soft drinks for extra bite, and mouth feel. Theprimary acid used in colas is phosphoric acid, while the one used in citrus flavored drinks is usually citric acid. Carbonated water (water that has the gas carbon dioxide dissolved in itunder pressure) is also mildly acidic (it is chemically carbonic acid, H2CO3).However even though acids might be added to the soft drinks for providing taste andflavours, they can be harmful and injurious to the human body. As such this extended essaytries to ascertain the acid content found in the various soft drinks that is sold in the marketand also the extent of damage they do to our body. For the research work, a research questionhas been framed which is: "Evaluating the acidity content in various soft drinks and theirrelative damage on the human body" In making this extended essay, data and information will be gathered from various sourceswhich includes both primary and secondary research sources. Some tests and experimentswill also be conducted to ascertain the acidic content in the various soft drinks. Thesecondary research derived mainly from online sources will help in co-relating the extent ofdamage done by the various soft drinks on the human body due to the presence of differenttypes of acids in them.ACIDS FOUND IN THE VARIOUS SOFT DRINKS SOLD IN THE MARKETMost soft drinks contain one or more of three common acids: citric acid, carbonic acid andphosphoric acid. Soft drinks with specific flavor ingredients may also contain other lesscommon acids. The three most common acids in soft drinks are citric, carbonic andphosphoric acids. Citric acid comes from citrus products and any soft drink with citrusflavoring will contain it. The chemical formula is H(3)C(6)H(5)O(7). Carbonic acid formsfrom dissolved carbon dioxide, which is present in almost all soft drinks. The chemicalformula is simply a combination of water’s H(2)O and the CO(2) of carbon dioxide, which "