Carbonic acid is a chemical compound with the chemical formula H2CO3 (equivalently: OC(OH)2).

It is also a name sometimes given to solutions of carbon dioxide in water (carbonated water),

because such solutions contain small amounts of H2CO3. In physiology, carbonic acid is
described as volatile acid or respiratory acid because it is the only acid excreted as a gas by the
lungs.[2] It plays an important role in the bicarbonate buffer system to maintain acid–base
homeostasis.
Carbonic acid, which is a weak acid, forms two kinds of salts: the carbonates and
the bicarbonates. In geology, carbonic acid causes limestone to dissolve, producing calcium
bicarbonate, which leads to many limestone features such as stalactites and stalagmites.
It was long believed that carbonic acid could not exist as a pure compound. However, in 1991, it
was reported that NASA scientists had succeeded in making solid H2CO3 samples.[3]