What is the reaction between vinegar and baking soda?

If you’ve ever made an erupting volcano model you most likely used the baking soda and vinegar reaction to make it erupt. Baking soda and vinegar react to neutralise each other ( vinegar is an acid and baking soda an alkali ) releasing carbon dioxide which is the bubbles of gas you see. If you add a little washing up liquid ( dish soap ) the foam becomes thick, a little like lava!

This reaction is used for lots of fun science experiments including popping bags and blowing up balloons.

Baking Soda and Vinegar Reaction Equation

Baking Soda + Vinegar —-> Carbon Dioxide + Water + Sodium Ion + Acetate Ion

You can read more about the chemistry behind the reaction here.

Try an experiment!

Now you know the science behind the reaction why not try one of our many explosive baking soda and vinegar experiments.

One of our favourites is fizzy colour changing potions! These use red cabbage indicator for the colour changing part and the vinegar and baking soda reaction to make the fizz!

Frozen baking soda ice cubes are great fun too!

More easy science for kids

Don’t forget I’ve got 100s more easy science activities and experiments for kids to try! We’ve got STEM challenges, kitchen science experiments and lots of ideas for science at home!

If you try any I’d love to see them so please do share on social media and tag @sciencesparks.

Last Updated on May 26, 2021 by Emma Vanstone

Mixing baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and vinegar (acetic acid) causes a chemical reaction that produces a salt (sodium acetate) and water, as well as carbon dioxide gas. In this demonstration, baking soda is placed in a balloon that is attached to a flask holding vinegar. This creates a closed system. When the baking soda is added to the vinegar, the carbon dioxide produced quickly fills the flask and inflates the balloon. This shows that gas, though it cannot be seen, has mass and takes up space.

© Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc./Kenny Chmielewski

Today’s Wonder of the Day was inspired by Ngatau. Ngatau Wonders, “What Would Happen If Vinegar And Baking Soda Combined?” Thanks for WONDERing with us, Ngatau!

How hungry are you when you get home from a busy day at school? Starving? Ravenous? Famished? Those are just a few of the adjectives that kids might use to describe their hunger pains when they burst through the front door.

Instead of starting on homework, the first stop many kids make is the refrigerator. If you've ever searched the refrigerator for food after school, you may have noticed that it also usually contains all sorts of other items that don't make a good after-school snack.

The door full of condiments contains items that are usually only good if they're added to something else. You're also likely to find other items that are used in the cooking process, such as vinegar. You might also find a box of baking soda intended to absorb odors in the refrigerator.

If you can't find edible food, you might be tempted to conjure up your own concoction with some of the things you found inside. Before you become a mad scientist in the kitchen, though, you should know that some of those things might not make a tasty treat.

Take baking soda and vinegar, for example. Mixing those two ingredients will get you a reaction, but it won't taste good. In the right amounts and containers, the mixture can even be downright explosive!

Baking soda and vinegar react chemically because one is a base and the other is an acid. Baking soda is a basic compound called sodium bicarbonate. Vinegar is a diluted solution that contains acetic acid.

The baking soda and vinegar reaction is actually two separate reactions. The first reaction is the acid-base reaction.

When vinegar and baking soda are first mixed together, hydrogen ions in the vinegar react with the sodium and bicarbonate ions in the baking soda. The result of this initial reaction is two new chemicals: carbonic acid and sodium acetate.

The second reaction is a decomposition reaction. The carbonic acid formed as a result of the first reaction immediately begins to decompose into water and carbon dioxide gas.

Just like carbon dioxide bubbles in a carbonated drink, the carbon dioxide (that formed as the carbonic acid decomposed) rises to the top of the mixture. This creates the bubbles and foam you see when you mix baking soda and vinegar.

If you mix a large amount of baking soda and vinegar in a small container with a narrow opening, expect an impressive eruption! Many science teachers use this simple chemical reaction to teach students about chemistry. If you've ever made a homemade volcano as a science experiment, then you know firsthand what happens when baking soda and vinegar react!