Baking Soda & Vinegar

Concept: Acid-Base Reaction
The pH scale indicates the kind of ions a solution releases when it breaks down. Acidic solutions possess lots of hydrogen ions and basic solutions possess lots of hydroxide ions. Acidic substances have a pH below 7. Basic substances have a pH above 7. Neutral substances have a pH of 7. When acidic and basic substances interact, a chemical reaction called an acid-base reaction occurs.

Read Aloud: Science Rocks! by Ian Graham

Ingredients:

      ·         1 ½ cups Water
      ·         ¼ tsp. Liquid Dish Soap
      ·         2 tbl. Baking Soda

      ·         ¼ cup Vinegar
      ·         Red Food Coloring
      ·         Aluminum Foil

      ·         Plastic Cup

      ·         Pie Pan

 Demonstration:

      ·         Wrap a plastic cup in aluminum foil and place it in the center of a pie pan.

      ·         Pour 1 ½ cups of warm water into the cup. Add 10 drops of red food coloring to the water.

      ·         Add ¼ teaspoon of liquid dish soap and 2 tablespoons of baking soda to the cup. Stir until the baking soda dissolves into the colored water.

      ·         Slowly pour ¼ cup of vinegar into the cup to make the volcano erupt with lava.

Experiment:

·         Can you vary the amount of the ingredients to produce a more explosive reaction?

·         Can you vary the amount of the ingredients to produce a more delayed reaction?

Observations:
When the baking soda (a base) and the vinegar (an acid) interact, an acid-base reaction occurs and carbon dioxide (a gas) is created. Since gasses expand, pressure builds up inside the cup until the gas mixes with the liquid dish soap and bubbles up, triggering the volcano to erupt.