5 Fun Baking Soda Vinegar Reaction Experiments

Baking soda vinegar reactions are always a favorite in our house. My kids never get tired of watching these bubbly acid-base reactions. In this post I share a few fun variations of the basic baking soda vinegar experiment.

The Science Behind Baking Soda Vinegar Experiments:

Baking soda and vinegar reactions are classic acid base reactions. Vinegar is acetic acid in water and baking soda is a base known as sodium bicarbonate. Initially the reaction yields carbonic acid, but it is unstable and quickly breaks down into carbon dioxide and water. The carbon dioxide gas bubbles are what what makes the bubbly foam in these reactions.

NaHCO3 + CH3COOH = CO2 + H2O + Na + CH3COO-

Basic Baking Soda And Vinegar Reaction:

You will need:
-baking soda
-vinegar
-a cup or bowl

Add a couple tablespoons of baking soda to a cup or bowl. Add a half a cup of vinegar and watch it foam!

Now try these fun variations:

Sudsy Reaction:

For an extra foamy reaction add a small amount of dish soap to the baking soda before you add the vinegar.

Color Changing Reaction:

To make a color changing potion, add some red food coloring to the baking soda and some blue food coloring to the vinegar before mixing them together. The result will be a purple bubbly reaction! You can also try it with the following food coloring combinations: yellow & red, yellow & blue.

Frozen Reaction:

Dissolve a couple tablespoons of baking soda in a couple cups of warm water. Pour into ice cube trays and add a drop of food coloring to each ice cube. Then put the ice cube trays in the freezer and let freeze.

Pop the cubes out of the ice cube trays and set in a shallow dish. Using a dropper or a spray bottle, drop or spray vinegar onto the baking soda ice cubes and watch them foam!

Blow Up A Balloon With Baking Soda And Vinegar:

Pour a couple tablespoons of baking soda into a balloon using a funnel. Put about a cup of vinegar in a plastic drink bottle. Stretch the opening of the balloon over the top of the bottle, and hold the balloon upright so that the baking soda falls into the bottle.

Watch as the balloon inflates from the carbon dioxide bubbles released by the reaction!

Make a Volcano:

Take the fun outside and build a "volcano" out of mud or sand!

Place a few tablespoons of baking soda in an empty water bottle (or we used a yogurt container), you may want to use a small plastic or paper funnel to do this. Then place the bottle on the ground or in the bottom of a sand box. Build a mound around the bottle, leaving the opening sticking out of the top just slightly.

Add 5-10 drops of red food coloring and a couple drops of yellow food coloring to a cup of white vinegar. Stir the vinegar for a few seconds to distribute the color. Then slowly pour the vinegar into the top of the water bottle and enjoy watching your volcano erupt!

If you enjoyed this post, check out:
-Rainbow Science
-Make A Cloud In A Jar

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