The student lifts the balloon causing the baking soda to combine with the vinegar in the bottle. The student observes the vinegar start to bubble and fill the bottle. The balloon also begins to expand filling with gas. The student records a new mass of 237.2 grams.
1. What reaction did the student observe when the baking soda and vinegar mixed?
The reaction observed when baking soda and vinegar mix is a chemical reaction called the acid-base reaction or neutralization reaction. In this reaction, the baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) acts as a base and the vinegar (acetic acid) acts as an acid. They react together to produce carbon dioxide gas, water, and a salt (sodium acetate).
Did the mass increase or decrease? Explain what happened to cause a change in mass.
The mass increased.
When baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and vinegar (acetic acid) react, carbon dioxide gas (CO2) is produced as one of the products. The gas is released as bubbles, causing the mass of the system to increase. As the gas fills the bottle, it also enters the balloon, causing it to expand and further increase the overall mass being recorded. Therefore, the mass increase is due to the addition of carbon dioxide gas to the system.
Did a physical or chemical change occur? Explain
A chemical change occurred.
In a chemical change, the substances involved undergo a transformation at the molecular level, resulting in the formation of new substances with different properties. In this case, when baking soda and vinegar mix, a chemical reaction occurs. The baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and vinegar (acetic acid) react to produce carbon dioxide gas, water, and sodium acetate. These new substances have entirely different properties from the original baking soda and vinegar.
Thus, the observation of the vinegar bubbling, the balloon expanding, and the increase in mass are all indications of a chemical change occurring.
The reaction the student observed when the baking soda and vinegar mixed is called an acid-base reaction. The vinegar (an acid) and baking soda (a base) react to form carbon dioxide gas, water, and a soluble salt called sodium acetate. This reaction is also known as the baking soda and vinegar reaction.
The reaction observed when the baking soda and vinegar mixed is known as the vinegar and baking soda reaction, or the acid-base reaction. When baking soda (sodium bicarbonate - NaHCO3) and vinegar (acetic acid - CH3COOH) are combined, a chemical reaction occurs.
Baking soda is a base, while vinegar is an acid. When a base and an acid react, they undergo a chemical reaction called neutralization, creating water (H2O) and a salt. In this case, the salt formed is sodium acetate (CH3COONa).
The reaction can be represented as follows:
NaHCO3 (sodium bicarbonate) + CH3COOH (acetic acid) → H2O (water) + CH3COONa (sodium acetate) + CO2 (carbon dioxide gas)
This chemical reaction produces carbon dioxide gas, which is the reason for the bubbling observed in the bottle. The gas fills the balloon, causing it to expand.
So, the reaction observed when the baking soda and vinegar mixed is the acid-base reaction, which produces carbon dioxide gas and a salt.