Learn about chemical reactions with this fun experiment!

Key Words:

Chemical Reaction

Physical change 

Carbon Dioxide 

Solid

Liquid

MATERIALS: 

1. Baking Soda
2. Container
3. Vinegar 
4. Spoon (optional)

Step 1: First take your baking soda and pour some into your container. Keep in mind the more baking soda, the bigger the explosion! I did not want to make too much of a mess so I only added a little bit.

Step 2: Add a bit of vinegar to the baking soda. 

Step 3: Watch what happens! Right when the vinegar touches the baking soda, the product foams up and rises. This is a chemical reaction. 

Now we can ask ourselves: Why does this happen? What causes the vinegar and baking soda to react this way?

Here’s your answer:

What we saw is what is referred to as a chemical reaction. 

A chemical reaction is when two or more substances come together and react chemically to create a new substance. They transform chemically. 

We also saw a physical change. This is when products come together and change form. We saw this when the vinegar and baking soda came together and became a fizzy gas. It released carbon dioxide. 

The baking soda is considered our solid and the vinegar is our liquid. When the reaction settles, the fizz is gone. Now only a liquid remains. But it will not react the same way our vinegar would if we added baking soda. Why? Because it is a new substance now. 

Try playing around with the experiment. You can add more of each substance and create different variations.