Question

I soaked and washed white Darice decorative sand in distilled water. I added food-grade citric acid to different distilled water, then I sprinkled in a few grains of the sand. The sand bubbled and dissolved.

AFAIK, citric acid should not dissolve quartz sand.
a. the sand is not quartz
b. the internet is wrong that citric acid cannot dissolve quartz sand.

Answer 1

The bubbling and dissolving observed when citric acid was added to decorative sand suggests the sand isn't pure quartz and may contain other minerals that react with acid, such as carbonates.

Step-by-step explanation:

When you added citric acid to the distilled water with decorative Darice sand, you observed bubbling and dissolving, suggesting a chemical reaction. This is not typical behavior for quartz sand, since quartz (SiO2) does not readily dissolve in weak acids such as citric acid.

Citric acid can react with certain materials found in commercially available sands, especially those modified for decorative or other specific purposes. For instance, carbonate minerals, which may be part of some sands, will fizz and dissolve upon exposure to acids, releasing carbon dioxide gas.