Any acidic compound react with carbonates to CO2, what will blow up your bags.

Check your compounds, if they are acidic.  Normal salts are neutral. But minerals maybe not.

Howdy, fellers and ladies!

I am at a loss on the explosive reaction I have been creating and am seeking prof help.

I have been creating sparkling water for the fam for many years and have, in the last 2 years, starting to add minerals back in for flavor and health.  I use reverse osmosis as my starting point and run a custom kegerator set up.

Anyway, my question is regarding the minerals I use appear to 'explode' when mixed together and vacuum packed for later use.

I source high quality lab / food grade USA sourced (when possible).  Here is my list:

Real Salt (Redmond Life)
Potassium Bicarbonate
Epsom salt (aka magnesium sulfate)
Gypsum (aka calcium sulfate)
magnesium carbonate
Calcium Carbonate
Baking Soda (Sodium bicarbonate)
Ascorbic Acid

After the first large batch of this (enough for 20 kegs bc I dont want to mix every single keg we do) I noticed the vacuum packs I did of dry powder expanding big time.

I used what I could and removed the Vitamin C on the next batch  as it clearly had a reaction.  Then I removed the baking soda on the next batch.  I add these two in manually each time to each keg.

Still with those two removed, I made a batch last night, an explosion of powder was what I found.

I would think this is probably some basic high school chemistry that I am just not walking around with.... please let me know/explain what is happening here.

The most straightforward way to approach this would be to consider several equilibria constituting (1) dissociation of the oxide and (2) reactions between the oxide ion, hydroxide ion, and water. At equilibrium free oxide concentrations would be very low, perhaps not even measurable.

A more advanced picture would consider heterogeneous equilibria at the metal oxide surface. In aqueous suspension, most oxides exhibit various degrees of protonation at the surface. Dissolution of the oxide is a complex process involving different crystalline faces, defect cites, and so forth.

This is only dissociation  of sodiumchloride, no chemical reaction. Here we don't use the word spectator ions.

For exqmple

AgNO3 + NaCl => AgCl(s) + NaNO3.

Sodium and nitrate are spectator, because they stay in solution. Only Silver and chloride form silverchloride as precipitate.

NaCl(aq) + AgNO3(aq) ⟶ AgCl(s) + NaNO3(aq)

NaCl is soluble ionic as is AgNO3 so should be broken up as


Na+(aq) + Cl-(aq) + Ag+(aq) NO3-(aq) ⟶ AgCl(s) + Na+(aq) + NO3-(aq)

So fine I can see Na+(aq) and NO3-(aq) are solvated ions on both sides..

no phase change.

I think that's the normal definition of spectator ions that i'm used to.

Applied where the spectator ions are compound that ionise, so "in" soluble ionic compounds so i.e. as solvated ions, (or perhaps floating around without a counter-ion, still a solvated ion).   Or an ionising polar covalent compound like HCl.

You don't count the silver ion and chloride ion in the precipitate , as spectator ions. because they're not solvated ions.

So I agree with that

The solid Na2O will not dissolve as Na2O(aq) it reacts directly to form Na+( aq) and OH- (aq) ions.

I agree, we don't have Na2O(aq)   or 2Na+(aq) + O2-(aq).  It's not like HCl(which is covalent and ionises) or NaCl(a soluble ionic compound, so ionises).  It doesn't "ionise"/dissociate. And is not like NH3(aq)(covalent, but doesn't ionise).   It's Na2O(s), a crystal (or amorphous solid).
 
So in agreement so far.

Na+ is spectator because it is not changed.

The main reaction is
O2- + H+ OH- ( H2O)  => 2 OH-

You get from sodiumoxide sodiumhydroxide.

I think perhaps most would disagree with the idea that Na+ is a spectator.

I agree that Na+ hasn't changed oxidation state.  And, that a reaction occurred. But it has changed physical state, which means it took part in the reaction.

Also , if you see here

How to Write the Net Ionic Equation for Na2O + H2O = NaOH
Wayne Breslyn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLNbUC9fhr8

He speaks of the "complete ionic equation"  (which includes spectator ions)

And he speaks of the "net ionic equation" (which excludes spectator ions)

And he says there are no spectator ions, so for that equation,  Na2O(s) + H2O(l) --> 2Na+(aq) OH-(aq)


I agree that Na2O does split/dissociate/ionise, as part of the reaction. But I think to be a spectator ion, it has to split before the reaction. i.e. it has to be in split form as a reactant. (not just in the products).

Thanks