In this video, which I made while bored on a Sunday (I still had a ton of homework that I didn't feel like doing), I mix Vinegar and Baking Soda in the classic reaction that has captivated millions! -BRIEF EXPLANATION- Vinegar is a very weak acid that's safe to sell in grocery stores. It is acetic acid (CH3COOH), a very strong acid when concentrated, diluted to just .833 molar concentration, or 5% by volume, for those new to chemistry. Baking soda is another household chemical - it is pure sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), which is cheap to make and has many good properties for cleaning and baking. Vinegar actually consists of aqueous ions, H+ and CH3COO-, which dissociate when solid acetic acid is diluted into pure water. Since there are water molecules in vinegar, when we put baking soda into the vinegar, it dissociates into ions as well: Na+ and HCO3-. The Na+ (sodium ion) and CH3COO- (acetate ion) are spectator ions in this reaction - in other words, they don't do anything, and they'll still be there after the reaction is all done. The reaction itself is actually two reactions. The first is an acid/base reaction. The H+ from the vinegar and the HCO3- from the baking soda form carbonic acid in the first step: H+ + HCO3- → H2CO3 In the second step, the H2CO3 we've created immediately (like...really quickly!) decomposes into water (H2O) and carbon dioxide gas (CO2): H2CO3 → H2O(l) + CO2(g) The gas formed produces nice, fizzy bubbles in the H2O that's also getting formed. It's a really nice reaction that you could do right now, and it's totally safe! Stay interested in chemistry - it can be a really cool subject when you understand what's happening!

• published: 12 Jan 2009
• views: 46513