I am asking this because I know that acids are normally aqueous but according to the solubility rules, all carbonates are insoluble.
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2$\begingroup$ Have you looked at general references, such as the Wikipedia page for carbonic acid, before asking here? $\endgroup$– F'xCommented Oct 21, 2013 at 9:08
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7$\begingroup$ Also, all carbonates are not insoluble - the alkali metal carbonates, like [sodium carbonate](sodium carbonate) are soluble. $\endgroup$– Ben NorrisCommented Oct 21, 2013 at 11:09
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$\begingroup$ Please note that Arrhenius' definition of acidity is not the only one. $\endgroup$– Klaus-Dieter WarzechaCommented Jan 22, 2014 at 6:44
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2 Answers
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Yes, it is soluble.
For example, the oceans are constantly getting $\ce{CO2}$ from the atmosphere that gets converted into carbonic acid and thus decreasing pH on a global scale. Or the soft drinks we drink contain carbonic acid in them in dissolved form only due to mixing of $\ce{CO2}$ gas.
Also, not all carbonates are insoluble as Ben Norris has commented.
Hard and fast 'rules' in chemistry tend to be rare. Consider them guidelines.
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$\begingroup$ The oceans are only "constantly getting CO2" when we've filled the atmosphere with gaseous CO2 to disrupt the equilibrium. Prior to the last century, the oceans were mostly in a nice dynamic equilibrium with atmospheric CO2 (save a few nasty turns here and there) $\endgroup$ Commented Feb 22, 2016 at 14:27
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Yes, it is soluble.
The fizzy part of your soda does not form a layer at the bottom of the bottle. (Personally, I find the empirical solutions best for chemistry)
The carbonate rule only applies to alkali metal carbonates.
Also, as a general rule, anything with the word "acid" is probably soluble in water. Seeing as acids are sometimes defined as yielding $\ce{H+}$ ions when dissolved.
