What Happens When You Mix Vinegar And Baking Soda 

What Happens When You Mix Vinegar And Baking Soda 

Baking soda and vinegar are two common household staples that are useful for many different things. When you combine them together, they form a chemical reaction that creates carbon dioxide as well as a fizzing reaction. This is why these two items are often used to make volcano experiments with kids. However, the combination of baking soda and vinegar does not simply result in the production of carbon dioxide with no other consequences. In fact, there is a chemical reaction taking place that has been calculated by chemists so that you know exactly what will happen when you mix these two substances together. Let’s take a look at what happens when you mix baking soda and vinegar!

What Happens When You Mix Vinegar And Baking Soda?

The most obvious reaction that happens when you mix baking soda and vinegar is that you create bubbles! This is the visual reaction that you can see with your own eyes when you mix these two ingredients together. When you mix baking soda and vinegar together, a chemical reaction called an acid-base reaction takes place. This reaction happens because baking soda is an alkaline compound and vinegar is an acid compound. When these two compounds are brought together, they react with one another. The resulting chemical reaction causes a buildup of carbon dioxide in the surrounding environment. 

Why Does It Happen?

Baking Soda and Vinegar Are Basic

Baking soda and vinegar are both considered basic. In chemistry, a basic substance is one that has a high pH and is able to attract and attach to the negative ions of an acid. Baking soda is a base because it has a high pH of around 9. It is a white, odorless powder that is commonly used as a leavening agent in baking. Vinegar is an acid because it has a low pH and is able to readily react/combine with other substances. Vinegar is a liquid consisting of acetic acid and water.

Baking Soda is a Base, Vinegar Is an Acid

When you mix baking soda with vinegar, the reaction between the two produces carbon dioxide, water, and sodium acetate. The carbon dioxide gas bubbles that form are what create the foamy effect when you combine baking soda and vinegar. The bubbles that form are very small, but in large enough quantities, are able to lift a cake out of a baking pan. The reaction, of course, happens primarily because baking soda is a base and vinegar is an acid.

The Reactions that Happen When You Mix Baking Soda and Vinegar

To break down the reaction between baking soda and vinegar into the simplest terms, think of an acid and a base mixing together. The baking soda is the base, and the vinegar is an acid. When an acid and a base are mixed together and come into contact with one another, a chemical reaction occurs. The substances then break down into different compounds. When vinegar and baking soda are mixed together, they react to form carbon dioxide, water, and sodium acetate. The carbon dioxide forms bubbles, which is what causes the foaming action and the bubbles are what rises to the top of the mixture and burst. The water is formed when the sodium acetate breaks down. When these two substances mix together, a chemical reaction occurs, and the carbon dioxide bubbles are formed.

Baking Soda + Vinegar Foaming Behavior is Caused by CO2

The bubbles that form are carbon dioxide gas bubbles. Baking soda is a base, and vinegar is an acid. When an acid and a base come into contact with each other, a chemical reaction occurs. The baking soda and vinegar react to form carbon dioxide, water, and sodium acetate. The carbon dioxide forms bubbles when it comes into contact with water (which is present in vinegar). The bubbles that form are what cause the foaming action and the bubbles that rise to the top are what cause the “fizz” sound you hear when you mix baking soda and vinegar.

The Smell CAUSED by the Reaction Between Baking Soda and Vinegar

It’s a familiar smell, isn’t it? You might notice a sour smell when you mix baking soda and vinegar together for the first time. Any reaction between an acid and a base will result in a smell since this is the reaction that’s occurring. The smell is caused by the reaction between the vinegar and the baking soda when they are combined. Baking soda is a base, and vinegar is an acid. When an acid and a base come into contact with each other, a chemical reaction occurs, and the result is a sour smell. Baking soda and vinegar are commonly used in science experiments that involve reactions and chemical reactions.

What Is The Chemical Reaction When You Mix Baking Soda And Vinegar?

  • The chemical reaction that takes place when you mix baking soda and vinegar is called an acid-base reaction. This is the chemical reaction that happens when two different compounds come into contact with one another that are at opposite ends of the pH scale. 
  • When these two compounds are mixed together, a chemical reaction occurs that results in carbon dioxide being released into the air around the solution. Now, the basics of this chemical reaction are that baking soda is an alkaline compound and vinegar is an acid compound.
  •  When these two different compounds are mixed together, they react with one another. The resulting chemical reaction causes a buildup of carbon dioxide in the surrounding environment. 
  • The baking soda and vinegar combine in the solution to form baking soda Vinegar is also an acid that reacts with baking soda, but it produces CO, a different gas than CO2. In addition, the reaction also causes the water in the solution to produce hydroxide ions and hydrogen ions.

What Does Vinegar Do?

  1. The first thing that vinegar does when you mix it with baking soda neutralizes the pH level of the solution. As we mentioned before, the pH level of the solution is brought down to a neutral 5 level when you pour vinegar into baking soda. 
  2. Vinegar also causes CO to be released into the air when you mix baking soda and vinegar together. 
  3. Vinegar also causes hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions to be created when you mix baking soda and vinegar together. 
  4. Hydroxide ions are negatively charged ions in a solution.

What Does Baking Soda Do?

  1.  Baking soda is an alkaline compound that is able to neutralize the pH level of the solution. 
  2.  Baking soda is also able to cause CO to be released into the air when you mix it with vinegar. 
  3. Baking soda is also able to cause hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions to be created when you mix it with vinegar. 
  4. Hydroxide ions are negatively charged ions in a solution.

The Science Behind The Reaction

  • When you mix baking soda and vinegar, the reaction that takes place between the two compounds is an acid-base reaction.
  •  As we mentioned before, baking soda is an alkaline compound, and vinegar is an acid compound. When these two different compounds are mixed together, a chemical reaction occurs that causes the bubble to form in the surrounding environment. 
  • This is because the reaction causes an excess of carbon dioxide to be released into the air. The reaction between the two compounds starts when the hydroxide ions in the baking soda solution mix with the hydrogen ions in the vinegar solution. 
  • Hydrogen ions are positively charged ions in a solution while hydroxide ions are negatively charged ions in a solution. 
  • The two types of ions react with one another to form water and carbon dioxide. As a result, carbon dioxide is released into the air around the solution.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that when you mix baking soda and vinegar, a chemical reaction occurs that results in the production of carbon dioxide. This reaction happens because baking soda is an alkaline compound and vinegar is an acid compound. The reaction starts when the hydroxide ions in the baking soda solution mix with the hydrogen ions in the vinegar solution. As a result, carbon dioxide is released into the air around the solution.