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]
When carbon dioxide dissolves in water, it exists in chemical equilibrium with carbonic acid:[4]

The hydration equilibrium constant at 25 °C is called Kh, which in the case of carbonic acid is
[H2CO3]/[CO2] ≈ 1.7×10−3 in pure water[5] and ≈ 1.2×10−3 in seawater.[6] Hence, the majority of
the carbon dioxide is not converted into carbonic acid, remaining as CO 2 molecules. In the
absence of a catalyst, the equilibrium is reached quite slowly. The rate constants are
0.039 s−1 for the forward reaction (CO2 + H2O → H2CO3) and 23 s−1 for the reverse reaction
(H2CO3 → CO2 + H2O). The addition of two molecules of water to CO2 would
give orthocarbonic acid, C(OH)4, which exists only in minute amounts in aqueous solution.
Addition of base to an excess of carbonic acid gives bicarbonate (hydrogen carbonate). With
excess base, carbonic acid reacts to give carbonate salts.

Role of carbonic acid in blood[edit]

Bicarbonate is an intermediate in the transport of CO2 out of the body by respiratory gas
exchange. The hydration reaction of CO2 is generally very slow in the absence of a catalyst,
but red blood cells contain carbonic anhydrase, which increases the reaction rate,
producing bicarbonate (HCO3−) dissolved in the blood plasma. This catalysed reaction is
reversed in the lungs, where it converts the bicarbonate back into CO 2 and allows it to be
expelled. The equilibration plays an important role as a buffer in mammalian blood.[7] A 2016
theoretical report suggests that carbonic acid may play a pivotal role in protonating various
nitrogen bases in blood serum. [8]

Role of carbonic acid in ocean chemistry[edit]

The oceans of the world have absorbed almost half of the CO 2 emitted by humans from the
burning of fossil fuels.[9]  It has been estimated that the extra dissolved carbon dioxide has
caused the ocean's average surface pH to shift by about −0.1 unit from pre-industrial levels.
This is known as ocean acidification, even though the ocean remains basi