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Effervescent tablets usually are a mixture of a weak acid, base, and binder. When dry there is no reaction. But when placed in water the acid-base neutralization releases CO2 rapidly.

If you ground a (dry) tablet into nanopowder, the acid and base grains would have enormous surface area. Would this cause them to react despite having no solvent?

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  • $\begingroup$ Anyway, you will just obtain a surface reaction, producing the tiniest amount of gas, despite the huge surface area. Furthermore, the residual solid stuff will prevent new fresh molecules from coming into contact one another. So the rection will quickly stop. $\endgroup$
    – Maurice
    Commented Aug 20, 2022 at 10:03
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    $\begingroup$ There is possibility of water vapor adsorption and autocatalysis by produced water. Anyway, avoid sneezing toward nanopowders. $\endgroup$
    – Poutnik
    Commented Aug 20, 2022 at 10:32
  • $\begingroup$ related chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/34916/… $\endgroup$
    – Mithoron
    Commented Aug 20, 2022 at 15:55
  • $\begingroup$ I guess it would react, but you'd need long time and/or temperature, not to mention water vapor in the air would influence it. $\endgroup$
    – Mithoron
    Commented Aug 20, 2022 at 15:57

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