Sodium Bicarbonate & Acetic Acid
If you pour vinegar into a jar half-filled with baking soda, a frothing mass of white suds will erupt. This reaction, performed in the average home kitchen, is classified as an acid-base reaction.
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Sodium Bicarbonate
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You can prepare sodium bicarbonate by reacting sodium hydroxide with carbonic acid. Because sodium hydroxide is a strong base and carbonic acid a weak acid, there results the weakly basic sodium carbonate: NaOH + H2CO3 ---> NaHCO3 + H2O. Sodium bicarbonate is also known as “baking soda.”
Acetic Acid
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The product of soured wine is vinegar, which is used in kitchens as a 5-percent solution. If it is used as is, it has a golden-bronze coloration to it. If distilled, it resembles water, only with an acidic smell. Acetic acid has the chemical formula CH3COOH.
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Combining the Two
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Combining sodium bicarbonate with acetic acid, also referred to as combining baking soda with vinegar, creates this reaction: NaHCO3 + CH3COOH ---> CH3COONa + H2O + CO2.
The Physical Response
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This vigorous reaction produces large volumes of gas. Since the reaction happens so quickly, if the quantity reacted is large enough, the contents may overflow before the bubbles can pop.
Advisory
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Although this reaction constitutes a relatively safe demonstration of an acid-base reaction, it is not without risks. Care should be taken to prevent the reactants or their products from getting into your eyes. Also, since one of the products is carbon dioxide, an open vessel should be used, due to the danger of enclosing pressurized gases.
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