3. A student was adding baking soda and vinegar in a bottle to conduct an experiment. They then put a balloon on top of the bottle immediately after adding them together. The student observed that the balloon inflated and got larger. The student then predicted that the chemical reaction between the vinegar and the baking soda had created brand new matter, and would have more mass at the end of the reaction. Would you agree with the student’s prediction or not? Explain your answer.

Question

3. A student was adding baking soda and vinegar in a bottle to conduct an experiment. They then put a balloon on top of the bottle immediately after adding them together. The student observed that the balloon inflated and got larger. The student then predicted that the chemical reaction between the vinegar and the baking soda had created brand new matter, and would have more mass at the end of the reaction. Would you agree with the student’s prediction or not? Explain your answer.

My answer is
Type Answer HERE: No I would not agree with the student that new matter was created during the chemical reaction between the baking soda and vinegar, because a chemical reaction needs equal mass of reactants and mass of the products. So in this instance the balloon inflated because of carbon dioxide not because of a new matter that was created durning the chemical reaction. Am I correct?

Answer 1

Yes, you are correct. The student's prediction that new matter was created during the chemical reaction between baking soda and vinegar is not accurate. In a chemical reaction, the total mass of the reactants should equal the total mass of the products. In this case, the balloon inflated because carbon dioxide gas was produced as a result of the reaction between the baking soda and vinegar. The mass of the carbon dioxide gas added to the mass of the remaining substances in the bottle (baking soda and vinegar) will still be equal to the total mass before the reaction occurred. Therefore, no new matter was created during the reaction.