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Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiment

This classic science experiment is always a favorite activity for kids. And it’s easy to put together too! You only need baking soda, food coloring, water and vinegar. Kids will loving making this fizzy rainbow.

RELATED: Rain Cloud in a Jar

Rainbow Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiment

Kids love doing this easy science experiment. Not only is it a fun activity but it’s a great learning exercise too. They also get to practice fine motor work by using a pipette or dropper.

To save steps, you can also do this experiment by using regular baking soda shaped into a rainbow. Then just add a few drops along the arches of the food coloring.

The Science

What happens when you mix vinegar and baking soda?

You see the bubbling and foaming but what is causing this reaction? The baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is a base while the vinegar (acetic acid) is an acid and what you are seeing is an acid/base reaction. Initially, the reaction makes carbonic acid which is unstable and breaks down into carbon dioxide (CO2) and water which is what creates all of the fizzing and bubbles as the gas leaves the water.

Supplies Needed to do a Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiment

– Baking Soda – we like this large 5 lb bag for activities

– Food Coloring Gel (one in each color of the rainbow) – we like to use this liquid food coloring gel since it’s concentrated and makes the colors really vibrant

– Dropper

– Water

– Vinegar

Watch the Video Tutorial Here!

How to do a fizzy baking soda and vinegar experiment.

1. Start by placing 1 cup of baking soda into a bowl.

2. In a pouring cup, add 3 tablespoons of water. Mix in 1-2 drops of red food coloring into the water. If using regular food coloring, you may need to add more drops to make it more vibrant.

3. Pour the food colored water into the bowl with baking soda and mix until the baking soda is dyed.

It should still be a powdery-like texture and look like the following:

Repeat the above steps for Yellow and Orange. 

For Green, Blue and Purple , mix only 1/2 cup of baking soda to 1.5 tablespoons of water (you don’t need as much of these colors to make the rainbow so you can halve the recipe above.

4.  Lay out the colors onto a white tray or baking sheet. Protect your table if needed so the food coloring does not go onto your table.

5.  Put vinegar in a bowl and then let kids use a dropper to drop the vinegar onto the rainbow.

Kids love seeing the reaction the baking soda and vinegar makes together!

We love how easy this science experiment is to set up. And kids love to use the droppers to make the vinegar/baking soda reaction.

The rainbow version is a lot of fun to try! We hope you enjoy this easy science experiment!

More Science Experiments

Try this fun and easy Grow a Rainbow Experiment . You only need washable markers and paper towel!

For another fun experiment, make some oobleck! 

Try a rainbow rain cloud in the jar experiment!

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Cloud Dough

The BEST Playdough Recipe

How to Make Slime With Contact Solution

50+ Christmas Crafts for Kids

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vinegar and baking soda experiment

The vinegar and baking soda experiment is a classic and exciting science activity that demonstrates a chemical reaction. Discover how to conduct this experiment step-by-step and understand the science behind it.

The vinegar and baking soda experiment is a classic and popular demonstration that showcases the fascinating chemical reaction that occurs when an acid and a base interact. By combining vinegar (acetic acid) and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), we can observe an exciting display of bubbling and fizzing. This experiment not only captivates the imagination but also serves as a valuable educational tool, allowing us to explore the properties of acids and bases in an interactive and engaging manner.

To conduct this experiment, you will need a few basic materials: baking soda, vinegar, a clear plastic bottle or glass jar, a funnel (optional), and a balloon (optional).

Let's walk through the steps of the experiment:

• Begin by selecting a clear plastic bottle or glass jar to serve as the container for the reaction. It's helpful to use a clear vessel, as it allows for better observation of the reaction.
• If desired, use a funnel to carefully pour a small amount of baking soda into the bottle, filling it to about one-quarter of its capacity. The funnel helps to prevent any spillage or mess.
• Slowly pour vinegar into the bottle, being cautious not to fill it to the brim. Leave some space at the top to accommodate the reaction that will take place. As the vinegar comes into contact with the baking soda, the magic begins.
• Observe the reaction as the vinegar and baking soda interact. Almost immediately, you will witness a flurry of bubbles and fizzing. This effervescent display is a result of the chemical reaction occurring between the acetic acid in the vinegar and the sodium bicarbonate in the baking soda.
• For an added interactive element, you can stretch a balloon over the top of the bottle or jar before pouring in the vinegar. As the carbon dioxide gas is generated during the reaction, it will inflate the balloon, creating a visual representation of the gas production.

The chemical reaction that transpires between the vinegar and baking soda can be explained by the following equation:

CH3COOH (acetic acid) + NaHCO3 (sodium bicarbonate) → CO2 (carbon dioxide) + NaC2H3O2 (sodium acetate) + H2O (water)

The reaction between the acid (vinegar) and the base (baking soda) produces carbon dioxide gas, which manifests as bubbles. Simultaneously, sodium acetate and water are formed as byproducts of the chemical reaction.

This experiment serves as an excellent educational tool, particularly for teaching children about chemical reactions and the properties of acids and bases. It provides a hands-on experience that allows them to witness the exciting transformation and understand the principles at play.

By engaging in the vinegar and baking soda experiment, children can develop a deeper appreciation for the world of chemistry. They can learn about the concept of chemical reactions, how different substances interact, and the role of acids and bases in these processes. Furthermore, the visual effects of bubbling and the inflation of the balloon make the experiment even more captivating and memorable.

However, it is important to note that while this experiment is safe and enjoyable, caution should always be exercised. Adult supervision is advised, especially when working with young children. It's crucial to handle the materials responsibly, avoid ingestion or contact with eyes, and clean up any spills promptly.

In conclusion, the vinegar and baking soda experiment provides an exciting opportunity to explore the chemical reaction between an acid (vinegar) and a base (baking soda). Through the combination of these two substances, we witness a captivating display of bubbling and fizzing, accompanied by the production of carbon dioxide gas, sodium acetate, and water. This experiment serves as an interactive and educational tool, allowing children to gain insights into the world of chemistry, understand the properties of acids and

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10+ Fun and Easy Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiments

They explode, they erupt, they are messy and boy are they fun! What could cause so much excitement? That’s right, baking soda and vinegar experiments. Go beyond the old baking soda and vinegar volcanoes and discover a world of new experiments to thrill your kids!

Chemistry for Kids – Sodium Bicarbonate and Vinegar Reactions

What you will discover in this article!

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We love science experiments around here, but, often for my own sanity, we keep things easy, by just playing with variations of our favourite physics or chemistry reactions. One of our all time favourites is the simple baking soda and vinegar experiments.

Immediately, I am sure you are thinking of the old fashion Baking Soda and Vinegar Volcanoes we all built as children. We love that experiment too, but you can do lots of other things with this awesome reaction that don’t involve a whole lot of paper mache construction.

A quick note for those not in North American. Baking Soda is also known as Sodium Bicarbonate in many parts of the world.

The Science

These activities explore the popular baking soda and vinegar reaction, which is a simple acid-base chemical reaction. Vinegar or Acetic Acid has the chemical formula CH 3 COOH. Baking Soda, is a base also known as Sodium Bicarbonate or Sodium Bicarb, has the chemical formula ‎NaHCO 3 . During this reaction the products are sodium acetate (CH 3 COONa). Sodium acetate is made of 1 sodium ion, 2 carbon atoms, 3 hydrogen atoms, and 2 oxygen atoms. The other products are water (H 2 O) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). Carbon dioxide is the gas that causes the bubbling during the reaction.

Here is the chemical formula of this reaction

CH 3 COOH (l) + NaHCO 3 (s) → CH 3 COONa (aq) + H 2 O (l) + CO 2 (g) acetic acid (vinegar) + sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) -> sodium acetate + water + carbon dioxide

Is the reaction endothermic or exothermic?

It takes energy to break the chemical bonds in baking soda and vinegar. When this happens energy is released when the carbon dioxide, sodium acetate, and water are formed. Since more energy was needed to break the baking soda and vinegar apart, the temperature goes down . This is called an endothermic reaction. That means Baking Soda and Vinegar reactions are endothermic.

Now we know the science, let’s dig into some fun experiments!

Here are our top 10 favourite baking soda and vinegar experiments that the kids love doing over and over and over again! The best part, most of these are super easy science experiments. Great for those afternoons when you need a quick, fun project that will appeal to any age.

Measuring Chemical Reactions – Fireworks Experiment

Baking soda and vinegar is the perfect reaction to start learning some basic chemistry principles including how to measure a chemical reaction. In this experiment we have a fun Fireworks inspired reaction (great for July 4th), followed by a deep dive into chemistry as kids learn how to measure a chemical reaction with simple kitchen supplies.

Bottle Rockets

Building Bottle Rockets is such a fun activity for all ages, but especially as a year end celebration or summer camp activity. With this activity we are exploring the pressure and physics caused by a contained baking soda and vinegar reaction. And the results are spectacular!!

Greenhouse Effect Experiment

This powerful experiment demonstrates the heat capturing properties of greenhouse gases. An excellent project to do for Earth Day or as part of a unit study on environmental sciences and climate change. Create the Greenhouse Effect in a jar .

Hatching Dino Eggs

One of our most popular activities with everyone from the very young to the young at heart are these little Dino Eggs. Everyone dreams of hatching their very own dinosaur baby and in this fun activity you make it happen with a fizzy, fun and gorgeous chemical reaction.

Erupting Rainbow Rocks

Erupting rainbow rocks are a gorgeous, colourful science experiment that is so easy to do. Be prepared for lots of squeals of excitement and gasps of wonder as the rainbow of colours magically appear in the fizz!

Erupting Black Hole Science

We love studying space around here, and this is a fantastic activity for your star gazers and aspiring space travelers. Inspired by the first photographs of a black hole, we created this fun and interactive Space STEM Activity – Erupting Black Holes !

Magic Color Changing Oobleck

Imagine changing the colour of something, simply with chemistry. This Colour Changing Oobleck activity was not originally meant to be a baking soda and vinegar reaction, in fact we were simply setting out to test pH. Then we saw those fizzy little reactions as our Oobleck changed colour. Accidental discoveries in science are so much fun!

Baking Soda vs Baking Powder

Got a budding scientist on your hands that wants to run their very own science lab? This is a fantastic activity for kids to put their investigation skills to the test. Make sure you use test tubes and beakers for the best lab experience. Don’t forget the lab coat. Your young scientists will love this investigative activity exploring the differences between baking soda and baking powder .

Balloon Science

Like our bottle rockets, in this activity we are capturing the CO2 gases that result from a baking soda and vinegar reaction. Using our STEM skills we tested different ratios to see how it affects the inflating of our balloons. We have done this experiment for Groundhog Day and Halloween . It is great fun and can be easily adapted for any theme and is super easy to do.

Volcano Slime

After years of failure we finally found success making slime with contact lens solution and baking soda. Well it didn’t take long for the kids to start asking… what would happen if we added vinegar? And our Erupting Volcano Slime was born!

Puking Pumpkin Volcano

Take your fall Halloween celebrations to a new level of “EEEWWWW” with Puking Pumpkin Volcanoes ! This simple activity always delights the kids.

Apple Volcano Experiment

This Apple Volcano is perfect for Back to School and Fall Science. Kids love Apple Science Experiments, and this colorful one is always popular.

Christmas Tree Chemistry

This is a great Christmas STEAM activity , but if you need something for a different time of year, simply switch out your Silicone Molds to change the theme of this activity for any holiday or event. We’ve done it for Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day, Dinosaur themed and more. Kids get to decorate their Christmas Tree then make it erupt in a colourful chemical reaction.

Invisible Ink

Another fun use of acids and bases is to make invisible ink . This is such a fun experiment with big wow moments for kids!

Art from Science Galaxy Project

Combine these incredible chemical reactions with a fun art project in this easy activity that is perfect for STEAM club or to celebrate the night skies. We had so much fun making these Galaxy art prints .

Have a great time exploring the amazing reaction between baking soda and vinegar! Your kids are going to have a blast!

Ready to dig into more Chemistry learning in a fun, interactive way? Try our Periodic Table of Elements BINGO game!

Have fun learning and exploring with chemistry!

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Baking Soda and Vinegar Science Experiments

Kids love easy science experiments you can do with baking soda and vinegar. When baking soda and vinegar combine, you get an incredible chemical reaction everyone will want to try. Check out our top baking soda and vinegar science experiments for preschool through middle school.

Take a look at how we give this classic science experiment a twist with the activities below. These are our favorite ways to explore a fizzing reaction. Use this safe experiment as an easy way to introduce a chemical reaction to younger kids.

See our list of preschool science experiments and elementary science experiments .

All you need are a few simple ingredients you may already have in your kitchen! Baking soda, vinegar, and a little food coloring will keep your kids busy for quite a while. We have also included a few other ingredients that react with baking soda to make it fizz. Find unique ways to enjoy this fun experiment any day of the year!

💡 You can easily try this experiment at home or in a classroom, making it easy to do!

Free Printable Fizzy Reactions Guide

If you love mixing baking soda and vinegar, look through the experiments below and grab the free printable baking soda and vinegar fizzy reactions guide !

Apple Volcano

Grab an apple that’s ready to be composted and try this fall theme baking soda and vinegar activity!

Baking Soda and Cranberry Juice

What happens when you add cranberry juice to baking soda? Fizzing cranberries ! What about lemon juice or lime juice like this Lemon Volcano ? Find out with these citric acid experiments.

Baking Soda Fizzy Paint

Try fizzy painting! Make your own cool fizzy art with baking soda and vinegar paint for a fun and easy art meets science activity. Try this fizzy heart !

Baking Soda Moon Rocks

Here we made our own DIY moon rocks for a cool space theme activity for kids.

Balloon Experiment

Can you blow up a balloon using only baking soda and vinegar?

Baking Soda Bottle Rocket

Combine physics and chemistry with this unique baking soda and vinegar science experiment! Kids will love blasting off a bottle rocket .

Bubbling Slime

This is by far one of the  coolest slime recipes we have to date because it combines two things we love: slime making and baking soda and vinegar reactions.

Classic Baking Soda Volcano

Vinegar volcanoes are always a hit, and you can make them in several ways. We are using the classic baking soda volcano to test our science skills! Learn how to make a batch of salt dough and craft a volcano fit for this science experiment.

Cookie Cutter Baking Soda Experiments

Grab your cookie cutters for a fun and easy baking soda project. Try different themes with your holiday cookie cutters. Try these fizzing snowflakes!

Dancing Corn

Dancing corn is usually a favorite baking soda and vinegar experiment around Thanksgiving for us! The alternative to this type of science project is done with a carbonated liquid, such as this dancing raisins science experiment.

Dinosaur Volcano

What’s more fun than combining dinosaur play and a baking soda and vinegar reaction! This dinosaur volcano activity provides an opportunity for younger kids to learn about dinosaurs, volcanoes, and the natural world in a hands-on way.

Fizzing Dinosaur Eggs

The coolest dinosaur activity EVER!! A fun variation on a baking soda and vinegar reaction where kids can hatch out their own dinosaurs.

Fizzing Sidewalk Paint

This is an awesome way to take science outside and turn it into STEAM! Get outdoors, paint pictures, and enjoy a kid-favorite fizzing chemical reaction.

LEGO Volcano

Build your own volcano with basic LEGO bricks and watch it erupt over and over again.

Popping Bags

Another unique way to try a baking soda experiment outside! How to make an exploding plastic bag.

Sandbox Eruption

Take your baking soda project outdoors and build a baking soda and vinegar bottle rocket in your sandbox.

Snow Volcano

This makes for a great winter science experiment! Take the baking soda and vinegar fun outdoors and create your very own erupting snow-cano!

Watermelon-Cano

We love to make anything erupt… Also check out our apple volcano , pumpkin volcano and even a puking pumpkin .

Baking Soda and Vinegar Science Fair Project

Set this up as a Baking Soda and Vinegar Science Fair Project! Learn more about Science Fair Projects here and grab the free pack.

• Try using different baking soda and vinegar ratios to see how they affect the reaction.
• Add food coloring to the vinegar to create a colorful eruption.
• Test other household substances, such as lemon juice , orange juice, or cranberry juice , to compare their reaction with baking soda.
• Add dish soap and compare the eruptions.
• Try using containers with different size openings to observe the pressure the gas exerts, causing the eruption.

💡 Read more about the Scientific Method for Kids here!

What Makes Baking Soda Fizz?

Baking soda is made up of tiny particles called molecules. Each molecule has three different elements: sodium, hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen.

Something exciting happens when baking soda comes into contact with an acid, like vinegar! The acid (vinegar) and the base (baking soda) react. The vinegar donates a hydrogen ion to the baking soda during this reaction.

The hydrogen ion combines with the bicarbonate ion in baking soda to form carbonic acid. This is unstable and quickly breaks into water and carbon dioxide gas.

The carbon dioxide gas is why baking soda starts to fizz and bubble. The gas tries to escape from the mixture, creating bubbles that rise to the surface. These bubbles make a fizzing sound and give the impression of a mini volcano eruption!

So, when you mix baking soda with an acid like vinegar, you get a fantastic fizzy reaction due to the production of carbon dioxide gas. It’s truly an exciting and visually appealing demonstration of a chemical reaction!

You might also like: Cool Chemistry Projects for Kids

Endothermic Reaction

Mixing baking soda and vinegar is an endothermic reaction because the carbonic acid needs to take in energy from its surroundings (the mixture of baking soda and vinegar).

This process of taking in energy is what makes the reaction endothermic. And as it takes energy, it produces carbon dioxide gas, which creates all the exciting fizz and bubbles you see! It’s like a bit of science magic happening right before our eyes!

You might also like: Elephant Toothpaste (Exothermic Reaction)

Helpful Science Resources To Get You Started

Here are a few resources that will help you introduce science more effectively to your kiddos or students and feel confident yourself when presenting materials. You’ll find helpful free printables throughout.

• Best Science Practices (as it relates to the scientific method)
• Science Vocabulary
• All About Scientists
• Free Science Worksheets
• DIY Science Kits
• Science Tools for Kids
• Scientific Method for Kids
• Citizen Science Guide
• Join us in the Club

Printable Science Projects For Kids

If you’re looking to grab all of our printable science projects in one convenient place plus exclusive worksheets and bonuses like a STEAM Project pack, our Science Project Pack is what you need! Over 300+ Pages!

• 90+ classic science activities  with journal pages, supply lists, set up and process, and science information.  NEW! Activity-specific observation pages!
• Best science practices posters  and our original science method process folders for extra alternatives!
• Be a Collector activities pack  introduces kids to the world of making collections through the eyes of a scientist. What will they collect first?
• Know the Words Science vocabulary pack  includes flashcards, crosswords, and word searches that illuminate keywords in the experiments!
• My science journal writing prompts  explore what it means to be a scientist!!
• Bonus STEAM Project Pack:  Art meets science with doable projects!
• Bonus Quick Grab Packs for Biology, Earth Science, Chemistry, and Physics

One Comment

I am a regular visitor of your website. Thanks for the great article. By following this article I created youtube video of my son showing step by step tutorial of Magic Balloon Science Experiment for Kids using Baking Soda and Vinegar – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl_OMitc150

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7 Fizzy Baking Soda and Vinegar Science Experiments

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There is something about baking soda and vinegar science experiments that just never gets old. Kids of all ages enjoy these activities, but in my experience, little ones love them the most. They get so excited when they watch the baking soda and vinegar reaction!

When my kids were little I got into the habit of buying large containers of baking soda and white vinegar. These supplies are pretty inexpensive, especially when purchased in bulk. You might not want to use them in food prep after a while, but they are always good for science experiments.

Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and vinegar (water and acetic acid) form carbon dioxide gas when they are mixed together.

These easy science experiments are sure to be a hit! Creating an acid-base reaction is a fun way to learn about chemical reactions.

Baking Soda and Vinegar Science Experiments

Tip – I recommend doing all of the vinegar and baking soda science experiments on a baking sheet or outside. The fizzy reactions can get messy quickly!

Classic Volcano

Making a volcano is a classic science experiment for kids. This activity can fit in with a science lesson about chemical reactions, but it can also be a great volcano demonstration in a lesson about volcanos.

You will need:

• Container to hold the baking soda
• Baking soda
• Playdough or clay (if you want to form a classic volcano shape)

First, gather all of your materials. You can use pretty much any container to make the volcano. I used a beaker from my science cabinet, but you could use a drinking glass, a mason jar, a clean can, etc. I have even seen people make a big baking soda and vinegar volcanos using sand buckets! (Definitely do that outside for easy cleanup.)

I recommend putting the volcano in a glass casserole dish to contain the mess.

If you want to form the classic volcano shape, use playdough or clay to add a slope to your container. You can also paint it if you want. Let this harden and dry before adding baking soda or vinegar.

When your volcano is ready, sprinkle baking soda into your container. Different volcanos will need different amounts of baking soda. If you have a small container you will just need a little. If you use a large container you will need a lot.

When everyone is ready, pour the vinegar onto the baking soda. The fizzy chemical reaction happens pretty much instantly.

Fizzy Dinosaur Eggs

This fizzy dinosaur eggs activity from Kim at TheBestIdeasForKids.com is going to be a hit with any young children who love dinosaurs. Kids can help prepare the baking soda eggs and then use the vinegar to make them ‘hatch’ or an adult can prepare the eggs ahead of time.

• Food coloring
• Small plastic dinosaurs (or whatever you want inside of the eggs)
• Squirt bottle or dropper

Get the full fizzy dinosaur egg directions .

Drop Painting

I loved setting my kids up with this activity when they were toddlers – early elementary. It was my go-to activity when I needed them to be engaged at the kitchen table so I could supervise them while cooking. They had a great time and I was able to cook without little hands helping.

• Baking tray or dish
• Cups – one for each color
• Different colors of food coloring
• Dropper or pipette – one for each color

To set up this activity, add a layer of baking soda to a baking dish. Then add vinegar to small cups. I used an assortment of recycled glass jars. Add a few drops of food coloring to each cup. Kids can help mix primary colors to create secondary colors. Put a pipette or dropper in each cup.

Now kids can use the pipettes to drop colored vinegar onto the baking soda. Everywhere that a drop of vinegar hits the baking soda kids will see bubbles in the color of the vinegar.

Some kids like to make a picture using the baking soda as a temporary canvas. Other kids just enjoy the process. Either way, they are having fun experimenting with baking soda and vinegar. This sort of activity when kids are young lays a foundation for understanding chemical reactions when they are older.

Hot ice seems like an oxymoron, but it is actually a really cool science experiment using baking soda and vinegar. This activity has a few more steps than some of the other ideas, but kids will be delighted with the result.

• Baking Soda
• Glass measuring cup
• Glass pie plate
• Refrigerator

Get the full directions for hot ice from PlaydoughtoPlato.com .

Hidden Colors

This hidden colors activity is similar to the vinegar drop painting activity. It uses the same basic supplies, but the order is different.

• Mini-muffin tin
• Vinegar in a cup
• Dropper or pipette

Put a few drops of food coloring in each mini-muffin tin well. Cover it with a thin layer of baking soda. You want enough baking soda to cover the food coloring, but not enough to fill up the muffin tin. When it is ready, kids shouldn’t be able to tell what color is in which spot.

Pour vinegar into a cup and give your child a dropper or pipette.

Kids can slowly add drops of vinegar to each well of baking soda until they can see the color mix in with the carbon dioxide bubbles.

Exploding Bag

I think most kids go through a phase where they like to watch things explode. In my house that happened in the late elementary and early middle school years.

This baking soda and vinegar activity will make kids who love explosions happy.

I think it is a good idea to do this activity outside because it can get messy! The aftermath of a baking soda and vinegar explosion can feel gritty so it is helpful if it is done on a driveway so it can be hosed off.

• Plastic bag with a zip seal
• Permanent markers (optional)

Get the full directions for making an exploding bag at MomBrite.com .

Inflate a Balloon

Watching fizzy bubbles and explosions can be fun, but this baking soda and vinegar experiment helps kids understand that chemical reactions can be useful. They will attempt to inflate a balloon using baking soda and vinegar. Now, this certainly isn’t the most efficient way to blow up a balloon, but it gets kids thinking about science as useful.

• Plastic bottle

Get the full directions at HappyBrownHouse.com .

I hope your kids enjoyed these simple science experiments! Once they have tried a few of these simple baking soda and vinegar activities, let them try making changes to see if the results change. Maybe they can try using lemon juice instead of vinegar and see what happens!

Check out these other science activities for kids!

• How to Grow a Germ Farm
• Rock Cycle Activities for Middle School
• Helpful Science Vocabulary Activities

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Welcome! My name is Jennifer. I am a teacher at heart. Before my children were born I was a public school teacher. Now, I am a homeschooling mom of two.

Vinegar and Baking Soda Reaction Experiments

From creating bubbling volcanoes to exploring the properties of acids and bases, vinegar and baking soda offer fun opportunities for hands-on learning and experimentation. 

So grab a bottle of vinegar and a box of baking soda, and get ready to have some fun!  We’ll explore some of the many experiments and activities you can do with these two versatile ingredients. Get ready to be amazed by the science behind the fizz! 

The Science and Chemistry of Vinegar and Baking Soda

The reaction between vinegar and baking soda is often used in science experiments to demonstrate chemical reactions or to create a gas that can be used to inflate a balloon or make a homemade volcano. It’s a simple and fun way to explore chemistry and learn about the properties of acids and bases., and we’ve done experiments with this chemical reaction a bunch of times.

The chemical equation for combining vinegar (acetic acid) and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is:

This reaction produces water, carbon dioxide gas, and sodium acetate (CH3COONa). This produces carbon dioxide bubbles, as the production of carbon dioxide gas is what gives the mixture its characteristic fizzing and bubbling. The overall reaction can be written as an acid-base reaction, with the acetic acid (vinegar) acting as the acid and the baking soda acting as the base.

Activities with Vinegar and Baking Soda

Remember to have some paper towels or rags on hand!  You can do what you can to try and contain the fizz and the mess, but always expect to be wiping up and prepare before you start mixing.

Make a Volcano

Apple volcano.

During our experiments with apples , we cored out an apple to use as a variation of the classic volcano.  We placed the baking soda in the apple and poured the vinegar over it.

Create a fizzy reaction

Inflate a balloon.

Most people fixate on the fizz and foam created when doing this experiment. The byproduct of the vinegar solution is carbon dioxide gas, which is invisible.  By sealing the reaction in a closed space, we can “see” the results as the balloon gets inflated.  Check it out in our experiments with plastic bottles .

Pro tip: make sure your balloon doesn’t have a hole in it! 

Vinegar and Baking Soda Rocket Fuel

If you tried the experiment to inflate a balloon, you saw how the byproduct gas expands and inflates the balloon.  What if there was no where for the gas to expand?  It’d create increased pressure in a confined space until it stopped expanding – or it’d build up enough pressure to expand further.  

Materials needed:

The reaction between baking soda and vinegar produces carbon dioxide gas, which creates pressure inside the corked bottle. This pressure builds up until it’s strong enough to push the cork out of the opening, propelling the bottle upwards. The fins at the bottom of the bottle provide stability and keep the rocket flying straight.

Check this out and more in our post on experiments with plastic bottles.

Explore the properties of acids and bases

As you make small tweaks, note the effects of each.  Remember to use the scientific method and make a hypothesis before testing it!

Invisible Ink with Vinegar and Baking Soda

Make a ball.

Science involved: When vinegar (acetic acid) and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) are mixed together, they undergo a chemical reaction that produces carbon dioxide gas. This gas gets trapped in the dough-like mixture formed by adding cornstarch, causing the mixture to expand and become bouncy. 

Wrap Up – Vinegar Experiment with Baking Soda

Check out our STEM challenges with household products for more quick and easy experiments for kids, and check out our kitchen science experiments!

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Try this classic, hands-on learning activity combining science and art. Baking soda and vinegar are an easy science experiments for kids.

Updated June 2024

Periodically I find myself remembering that so often with kids art, simple is often best. This is especially true with young kids as too many choices can often overwhelm and distract kids.

So today I thought we’d return to an oldie but a goodie: baking soda & vinegar experiments.

We come back to this simple science experiment for kids again and again. Most of the time I set this up as a simple color mixing activity by coloring the vinegar. The colors mix together and fizz as we all happily watch new colors emerge.

I love this project for its combination of art and science. Plus, it is SO simple to set up. And of course, there are many different options for expanding upon this like erupting playdough volcanoes or a sparkly fizzy potion .

Baking Soda Experiment

• white vinegar
• baking soda
• trays , cake pans, etc.
• pipettes (optional)
• liquid watercolors or food coloring

INSTRUCTIONS

I hope you give this activity a try. There’s a reason it’s been around so long! And don’t forget to tag us on Instagram #theartfulparent so we can see your art in action!

More Science Experiments for Kids

• The Best Science Experiments for Kids (artfulparent.com)
• The Awesome Rainbow Milk Science Experiment
• Melting Ice Science Experiment with Salt and Liquid Watercolors
• Ooey Gooey Oily Process Art
• Erupting Playdough Volcanoes
• How to Do the Rainbow Skittles Experiment

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Wait, Weight, Don't Tell Me!

A simple chemistry experiment—adding baking soda to vinegar—seems to challenge the law of conservation of mass.

Video Demonstration

• Safety goggles
• Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
• Vinegar (standard 5% acetic acid)
• Flask or bottle
• Measuring cup
• Balance scale that reads to at least 0.1 gram
• Optional: extra materials to experiment with, such as more balloons, zip-seal sandwich bags, 2-liter plastic bottles, etc.

• Put on your safety goggles.
• Attach a balloon to the end of the funnel.

• Pour about 1/2 cup (120 mL) of vinegar into the bottle or flask.

To begin, carefully put the sealed flask onto the scale and write down its starting weight.

You’re about to tip the balloon’s contents into the flask. What do you think will happen? Will the weight go up, down, or stay the same? Why?

Write down the final weight when the reaction is over.

Surprise—your balloon swelled enormously, but the weight actually dropped.

This result is especially confounding if you happen to be familiar with the law of conservation of mass : In any closed system, mass is neither created nor destroyed by chemical reactions or physical transformations. In short, the mass of the products of a chemical reaction must equal the mass of the reactants.

Did you really just violate the law of conservation of mass? You might be dying to know what’s going on, but wait, weight—why not figure it out for yourself?

The answer is below…but to avoid a spoiler, skip down to the Going Further section before reading on.

Alright, here’s the answer: Besides the chemical reaction, the only thing that changed in your sealed system was the volume . When you added the baking soda to the vinegar, the two combined to make carbon-dioxide gas, which inflated the balloon.

The expansion of the balloon changed the weight of your sealed flask because you and your entire experiment are submerged in a fluid: air.

Just like water, air is a fluid, and fluids buoy up objects. The upward buoyant force on any submerged object is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by that object—this is known as Archimedes’ principle . By increasing the volume of your sealed flask, you cause it to displace more air, increasing the buoyant force on it and reducing its weight. Here's the thing to remember: Scales measure weight, not mass. The mass stayed the same due to the law of conservation of mass, but because of buoyancy, the weight went down!

Consider possible explanations for the weight change: Did the balloon leak? Did something funny happen to the scale? What else might be going on? Plan an experiment to test your theory, gather equipment, and carry it out.

For an illuminating variation on the original experiment, try combining your chemicals while they’re sealed inside a 2-liter bottle. Getting things to mix only after you’ve sealed the bottle is an engineering design challenge unto itself. Caution: Do not exceed the recommended amounts of 1/2 cup (120 mL) vinegar and 2 teaspoons (10 mL) baking soda.

To confirm Archimedes’ principle, measure the volume of the balloon and use the known density of air (0.001225 g/cm 3 at 15° C at sea level) to calculate exactly the weight of air displaced by your expanding balloon. Does the weight loss of your flask match the theoretical prediction?

This activity is meant to spark more experimentation. Having a variety of supplies on hand will allow for creative investigation into this phenomenon.

This idea was first introduced to us by visiting fellow Eleanor Duckworth of Harvard University.

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Hands on kids activities for hands on moms. Focusing on kids activities perfect for toddlers and preschoolers.

35 Exploding Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiments for Kids of All Ages

Science Toddlers Grade School Kindergartners Preschoolers Experiment Kitchen Resources 3 Comments

Try one of these 35 science experiments that you can do with two simple ingredients you probably already have at home – baking soda and vinegar.

Simple science experiments are great for all ages.

They don’t always go as planned.

But that’s part of experimenting and learning.

Adjust accordingly and try again.

I am more likely to do science experiments that use basic household supplies.

After all, who wants to wait to go shopping before doing a science experiment?

Don’t let the excitement of doing an experiment fizzle away.

Mixing baking soda and vinegar is a blast, so you are sure to enjoy these 35 science experiments for kids.

Before even starting, figure out the best baking soda to vinegar ratio.

We did it and discovered that using 12 parts vinegar to 1 part baking soda resulted in the biggest fizziest explosions.

See the details here: Mega Baking Soda to Vinegar Ratio Experiment

Erupting Volcanoes with Baking Soda and Vinegar

Go with the flow with these erupting baking soda and vinegar volcano experiments.

I hope you lava them as much as I do!

Keep the mess to a minimum by going outside or keeping the volcanoes contained in a baking dish.

• Create an erupting apple volcano as seen on Little Bins for Little Hands. Then check out these 40 easy apple activities for kids to experiment, create, and learn for more apple themed learning.
• Scoop out the insides of a watermelon for a watermelon volcano shown on Natural Beach Living. And then enjoy a yummy snack when done.
• Fill a tray with plastic egg volcanoes found on Little Bins for Little Hands.
• Repurpose a salt shaker for a salt shaker volcano as seen on Science Kiddo. Wrap the baking soda in tissue paper, toss it in the vinegar, and quickly put the lid on to create a geyser of baking soda and vinegar.
• Practice colors with a color changing volcano shown on Preschool Inspirations. A video is available to watch this active volcano.
• Use small containers for a rainbow volcano found on Messy Little Monster. Pair this activity with a frozen rainbow science experiment for kids .
• Be wowed with a colorful volcano as seen on Hello Wonderful. Making a sensory bin with this erupting volcano is a hands-on creative idea.
• Build a homemade volcano shown on Fun With Mama. A plastic or glass bottle and some sand work great.
• Construct a ketchup volcano found on Kindergarten Worksheets and Games. Ketchup has vinegar in it, so technically, this is another vinegar and baking soda experiment. Plus it’s red like lava!

Dancing with Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiments

You put a little boogie in a tissue to make it dance.

But how do you make apple seeds , popcorn seeds, raisins, rice, gummy worms, and candy dance?

Try these baking soda and vinegar experiments! What else can you make dance?

• Use the apple seeds from the erupting apple volcano experiment for dancing apple seeds as seen on J Daniel 4’s Mom.
• Become a magician with dancing popcorn seeds found on Little Bins for Little Hands. Abracadabra!
• Experiment with dancing raisins shown on Science Sparks. Do raisins sink or float?
• Add color to a dancing rice experiment as seen on Green Kid Crafts. Do all kinds of rice dance?
• Cut gummy worms in quarters and soak them in baking soda for this dancing worms experiment as seen on Playdough to Plato. Does it matter how long you soak the worms in baking soda?
• Start a conversation with these dancing candy hearts found on Kindergarten Worksheets and Games. What other candy can you make dance?

FREE Science Experiments Download!

Creating Art with Baking Soda and Vinegar

Don’t draw the line with baking soda and vinegar experiments just yet. Create some fizzy, popping art work!

• Mix together some baking soda paint as seen on Housing a Forest. Spread this thick, goopy paint on to cardboard or thick paper with a spatula.
• Create some fizzy art found on Typically Simple. No pipette, no problem! Try using a medicine syringe or a turkey baster.
• Explore space with fizzy galaxy art shown on The Pinterested Parent. It’s a beautiful out-of-this world creation.
• Play with a fizzy painting as seen on Rainy Day Mum. Messy but fun!
• Make rainbow art found on The Best Ideas for Kids. The colors might all mix together in the process, but that’s okay!
• Build a textured fizzling volcano as seen on The Craft at Home Family. A free template is available.

Experimenting More with Baking Soda and Vinegar

Who knew you could do so many experiments with baking soda and vinegar? Here are even more simple baking soda and vinegar experiments to try at home with kids.

• Assemble a fizzy sensory bin found on Wild Flower Ramblings. Add shells, little rocks, and toy underwater creatures for an ocean theme.
• Experiment with color reaction using baking soda and vinegar! What color does blue and yellow make? Green!
• Learn what ratio of vinegar and baking soda creates the best chemical reaction with a ratio experiment . Chart your results.
• Become a mad scientist in a fizzy potion lab found on Little Passports. Any cup should work.
• Blow up a balloon without using your mouth. Will the filled balloons fall to the ground or rise in the air once they are tied shut?
• Uncover a magic treasure rock shown on Growing a Jeweled Rose. What treasure will you find?
• Compare frozen vinegar with frozen baking soda as seen on Play of the Wild. This is a great hands-on chemistry experiment.
• Build a chemical reaction car found on Left Brain Craft Brain. Does the amount of baking soda and vinegar affect the speed?
• Blast off with a launching rocket as seen on Babble Dabble Do. Does the weight of the rocket affect the distance it travels?
• Play in water with a STEAM boat shown on Tiny Beans. Anchors away!
• Decorate a STEAM sailboat found on 123 Homeschool 4 Me. Does the design of the boat matter?
• Investigate clean and green pennies as seen on Mom Brite. Make pennies sparkle and turn them green with this experiment.
• See a disappearing egg shell shown on Premeditated Leftovers. Simply put an egg in a jar of vinegar and wait a couple of days.
• Watch all of the bubbles form with this disappearing sea shells activity found on Little Bins for Little Hands. A shell in vinegar for a little bit is a clean shell. But left in vinegar for too long, it may disappear!

What is your favorite baking soda and vinegar activity?

About Brigitte Brulz

Brigitte Brulz is a homeschooling mom of two daughters, wife of her high school sweetheart, and author of Jobs of a Preschooler and Pickles, Pickles, I Like Pickles. She offers free coloring pages and activity ideas on her website at BrigitteBrulz.com .

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10 AMAZING Baking Soda Experiments

July 18, 2020 By Emma Vanstone 6 Comments

Baking soda experiments or activities are a great, safe and easy way to introduce the concept of a chemical reaction to children. Baking soda is alkaline and reacts with acids such as vinegar, releasing carbon dioxide ( a gas ) and water. The fizz produced is brilliant fun for children to watch, especially if you combine it with washing up liquid ( dish soap ) to make even more bubbles or add a bit of food colouring, ice or a theme.

Note: This is an old post that I have updated, so there are now more than ten ideas!

Baking Soda Reactions

Make honeycomb.

Did you know honeycomb has lots of holes due to the addition of baking soda? Making honeycomb is a delicious way to see the bubbles made when baking soda reacts.

Baking Soda Rocket

This rocket is my favourite baking soda experiment, but it does shoot up with a bang, so take extra special care and stand well back! You’ll need to wrap the baking soda in a small piece of kitchen towel to slow the reaction down for long enough to push the cork securely into place.

Baking Soda Powered Boat

We loved making our baking soda boat , although it was tricky to get the mechanism to work correctly. It’s worth persevering with, though. It’s fun to try making several different size boats and investigate how they move when you add different amounts of baking soda and vinegar.

Monster Tea Party and witchy potions

Our monster tea party was filled with fun fizzy potions and an excellent opportunity to try baking soda as well as bicarbonate of soda. Which do you think worked the best?

If monsters aren’t your thing, how about making witchy or fairy potions?

Baking Soda Volcano

A baking soda volcano is a staple science activity for kids. Try asking children to investigate using different amounts of vinegar but keeping the amount of washing-up liquid and baking soda the same. Can they create the perfect recipe for an eruption?

Volcanos can be made using snow, sand, papier mache, LEGO or anything else you can make a basic volcano shape with.

Baking Soda Popper

My children loved these baking soda poppers . Please be careful and stand back, as these can shoot up with a little warning and a lot of force.

We experimented to discover the best baking soda and vinegar combination for a launch.

What reacts with baking soda?

This fun investigation is great for children to start thinking scientifically. We tested lots of different liquids to discover what reacts with baking soda and what doesn’t.

Remember to keep the amount of baking soda and the test substance the same.

Fizzing rocks with baking soda

Make baking soda rocks and watch them fizz! Can you hide something inside them?

Blow up a balloon with baking soda

Did you know you can blow up a balloon with baking soda and vinegar or another acid?

Baking Soda Ice Cubes

Make some colourful baking soda ice cubes and watch them fizz as you add vinegar.

Frozen Vinegar

Inspiration Laboratories froze the vinegar instead of the baking soda, which also worked brilliantly.

Dancing Raisins

Watch raisins dance around a glass due to bubbles of carbon dioxide.

Fizzy Paint

We did this many years ago but loved our fizzy paint afternoon .

Exploding Sandwich Bag

Exploding sandwich bags are always fun too! Simply pop a bit of vinegar and baking soda in a sealable plastic bag, fasten it quickly and stand back to watch!

Colour Changing Baking Soda Potions

These colour-changing potions made with red cabbage indicator are fantastic fun and easy to make too!

These change colour as the acid and then alkali is added.

Christmas Elf Lab

We very much enjoyed our magical fizzy elf lab for Christmas time too!

Do you have any more baking soda experiments to tell us about?

What is a baking soda and vinegar reaction?

If you combine an acid and an alkali, they react together to neutralise each other. Vinegar is an acid, and bicarbonate of soda is an alkali.

The reaction releases carbon dioxide gas, which is the bubbles you see. If you add washing-up liquid ( dish soap ) to your eruption, mix the bubbles making the washing-up liquid bubble up, giving you an extra bubbly mix.

Don’t forget we’ve got 100s more easy science experiments for you to try at home or school!

Last Updated on April 9, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

Safety Notice

Science Sparks ( Wild Sparks Enterprises Ltd ) are not liable for the actions of activity of any person who uses the information in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources. Science Sparks assume no liability with regard to injuries or damage to property that may occur as a result of using the information and carrying out the practical activities contained in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources.

These activities are designed to be carried out by children working with a parent, guardian or other appropriate adult. The adult involved is fully responsible for ensuring that the activities are carried out safely.

Reader Interactions

May 03, 2014 at 5:05 pm

We love the baking soda experiments – and there are several here we haven’t tried! These will keep us busy for awhile!

May 05, 2014 at 7:02 am

Loving the baking soda ideas – we’ve tried a volcano before. Will have to try some more.

May 06, 2014 at 12:49 pm

Thanks Erica 🙂

September 08, 2016 at 8:17 pm

this was so helpful in help of finding fun and new experiments thank you to the creators of this.

June 10, 2017 at 5:30 pm

We have done every single one of these experiments before we even looked at this website and they were really cool.

March 05, 2018 at 9:24 pm

i found a science project but it calls for 80% vinegar. where can i find it

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Happy Hooligans

Crafts and Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers to Tweens

Fizzing Colours! A Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiment for Preschoolers

Last updated on February 18, 2021

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Toddlers and preschoolers will love this classic baking soda and vinegar experiment . They’ll ooh and ahh over the colourful chemical reactions they’ll create with just 3 kitchen ingredients!

A baking soda and vinegar experiment is one of those classic science experiments  that always fascinates. It’s perfect for the classroom or for a day at home when your kids are bored.

Your children will love the colourful, bubbling eruptions that result when baking soda and vinegar are combined.

This experiment is easy and inexpensive to set up so you can do it over and over, whenever you need a quick and easy activity to entertain your kids.

In addition to being fun and entertaining, this activity is educational too. You’ll have an opportunity to discuss colour, colour mixing  and chemical reactions.

To do our colourful baking soda and vinegar experiment, you’ll need:

For your conviencience, this post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• box of baking soda (also known as bicarb soda)
• small bowl of white vinegar

• food colouring or liquid watercolours
• baking sheet  or a messy craft mat

We did several science activities yesterday, and according to the hooligan you see in the photo above, this was the best “spare-a-mint” of the day.

I’m guessing it’s because it had the goopiest results for her to dig her hands into.  This little one just loves getting messy when she plays.

The Experiment:

We began by sprinkling baking soda all over the baking sheet.  Then we shook the baking sheet back and forth to evenly distribute the baking soda.

Next, using food colouring and liquid watercolours, we squeezed drops of colour all over the baking soda.

And now for the fun part:

A drop of vinegar dripped on top of a drop food colouring.

FIZZ, FIZZ, BUBBLE, BUBBLE!

I wish I’d snapped a picture of her face when the first eruption took place. Her expression was one of pure delight and amazement.

Then she began dripping vinegar onto all of the colours on the tray, watching and listening to each one bubble and fizz.

Using a dropper is great for helping to develop fine-motor skills, pencil grasp and co-ordination.

At one point, I gave her a spray bottle of vinegar so she could spray the baking soda as well.

A spray bottle is great for strengthening muscles and co-ordination in little hands. It was a lot of fun to use but we found that the dropper gave us a more intense reaction.

As the colours erupt on the baking sheet, you can explain  why baking soda and vinegar react the way they do when combined .

We also discussed primary and secondary colours. I would say “Look!  We have purple happening here!  Which two colours mixed together to make purple?”

She dripped and she dropped until the tray was a collage of colourful craters.

And then, as I suspected she put down her dropper, and sunk her hands into the results of our experiment.

What a lovely way to finish up the activity, sliding and swishing her hands through a soft and soupy rainbow of colour.

I hope you’ll try this baking soda and vinegar experiment with your kids or students!

And stay tuned…  I’ll be sharing more of yesterday’s science activities throughout the week.

Looking for more awesome science activities for kids?

You’ll find all of my easy science activities for toddlers and preschoolers here!

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Jackie is a mom, wife, home daycare provider, and the creative spirit behind Happy Hooligans. She specializes in kids’ crafts and activities, easy recipes, and parenting. She began blogging in 2011, and today, Happy Hooligans inspires more than 2 million parents, caregivers and Early Years Professionals all over the globe.

Reader Interactions

February 20, 2016 at 11:20 pm

Great activity! I have tried this with my preschoolers and it keeps them fully engaged for long periods of time. Love your photos 🙂

May 19, 2016 at 8:53 pm

This may be a silly question, but do you mix the food colouring with water, or just drop on pure food colouring?

happyhooligans

May 20, 2016 at 6:57 am

We used ours full-strength, Sasha.

December 13, 2017 at 12:07 am

There is one sentence that looks like it might have been the victim of an incomplete edit. “A drop of vinegar dripped on top one of a drop food colouring”

May 16, 2020 at 3:59 pm

Can I use red vinegar instead of white vinegar?

Jackie Currie

May 17, 2020 at 10:50 am

I imagine it would work, Alina. Sprinkle a little baking soda on a plate and drip some red vinegar on it. If it fizzes, you’re good to go.

February 17, 2022 at 6:01 am

Hi! I am planning on doing this with my preschoolers too but just wondering what the clean up process is? Did you throw the baking soda in the garbage after?

March 23, 2022 at 2:55 pm

I pour it down the drain Camille. Baking soda and vinegar are commonly used to flush kitchen drains.

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Wonder of the Day #1861

What Happens When You Mix Vinegar and Baking Soda?

SCIENCE — Physical Science

Have You Ever Wondered...

• What happens when you mix vinegar and baking soda?
• Why do vinegar and baking soda react the way they do?
• What types of substances are baking soda and vinegar?
• Baking Soda ,
• Ingredient ,
• Sodium Bicarbonate ,
• Acetic Acid ,
• Carbonic Acid ,
• Sodium Acetate ,
• Decomposition ,
• Carbon Dioxide ,
• Chemistry ,

Today’s Wonder of the Day was inspired by Ngatau. Ngatau Wonders , “ What Would Happen If Vinegar And Baking Soda Combined? ” Thanks for WONDERing with us, Ngatau!

How hungry are you when you get home from a busy day at school? Starving ? Ravenous ? Famished ? Those are just a few of the adjectives that kids might use to describe their hunger pains when they burst through the front door.

Instead of starting on homework , the first stop many kids make is the refrigerator . If you've ever searched the refrigerator for food after school, you may have noticed that it also usually contains all sorts of other items that don't make a good after-school snack .

The door full of condiments contains items that are usually only good if they're added to something else. You're also likely to find other items that are used in the cooking process, such as vinegar. You might also find a box of baking soda intended to absorb odors in the refrigerator .

If you can't find edible food, you might be tempted to conjure up your own concoction with some of the things you found inside. Before you become a mad scientist in the kitchen, though, you should know that some of those things might not make a tasty treat.

Take baking soda and vinegar, for example. Mixing those two ingredients will get you a reaction, but it won't taste good. In the right amounts and containers, the mixture can even be downright explosive !

Baking soda and vinegar react chemically because one is a base and the other is an acid . Baking soda is a basic compound called sodium bicarbonate. Vinegar is a diluted solution that contains acetic acid .

The baking soda and vinegar reaction is actually two separate reactions. The first reaction is the acid -base reaction.

When vinegar and baking soda are first mixed together, hydrogen ions in the vinegar react with the sodium and bicarbonate ions in the baking soda. The result of this initial reaction is two new chemicals: carbonic acid and sodium acetate.

The second reaction is a decomposition reaction. The carbonic acid formed as a result of the first reaction immediately begins to decompose into water and carbon dioxide gas.

Just like carbon dioxide bubbles in a carbonated drink, the carbon dioxide (that formed as the carbonic acid decomposed) rises to the top of the mixture. This creates the bubbles and foam you see when you mix baking soda and vinegar.

If you mix a large amount of baking soda and vinegar in a small container with a narrow opening, expect an impressive eruption! Many science teachers use this simple chemical reaction to teach students about chemistry. If you've ever made a homemade volcano as a science experiment, then you know firsthand what happens when baking soda and vinegar react!

Wonder What's Next?

Tomorrow’s Wonder of the Day takes a look at a Native American art form with deep spiritual meaning!

Are you ready to experiment with baking soda and vinegar? Ask a friend or family member to help you explore the following fun activities:

• If you've never done the classic science experiment with baking soda and vinegar, what are you waiting for? Find an adult friend or family member and make a Baking Soda & Vinegar Volcano today! For fun, use a smartphone to video your volcano in action, so you can share it with your friends.
• If you don't want to make a volcano, how about making a Bubble Bomb instead? You'll need the same two key ingredients, a grown-up, and a plastic bag. Have fun experimenting with baking soda and vinegar!
• Want to take your experimentation to the next level? Check out How To Get the Best Baking Soda and Vinegar Reaction online to learn how the addition of an extra ingredient — liquid dish soap — can make your baking soda and vinegar reactions even more bubbly!

Wonder Sources

• https://www.reference.com/science/baking-soda-vinegar-erupt-6c17a2965924611c
• http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/science/vinegar-baking-soda-the-ultimate-cleanser
• http://www.apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com/baking-soda-and-vinegar.html
• http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemicalreactions/f/What-Is-The-Equation-For-The-Reaction-Between-Baking-Soda-And-Vinegar.htm

Did you get it?

Wonder contributors.

We’d like to thank:

Zach , Zachary , kasey esther and Haley for contributing questions about today’s Wonder topic!

Keep WONDERing with us!

Wonder Words

• refrigerator

Fernando Ortiz Vallarta

Hi Fernando! 

Wonderopolis is the author. You can use the date you accessed the Wonder instead of a published date. 

Thanks for asking!

Hrm. That's a great question and definitely worthy of a Wonder Journey. Do let us know what you find out?

Yes it works bit yld add 12 tbsp of vinegar and 1 tbsp of baking soda. Make sure to add the vinegar first or whichever. ?

Thanks for sharing, Charity!

Yes, there is a reaction between vinegar and baking soda. Please make sure you are working with an adult and make sure you are following safety guidelines--such as wearing protective goggles! 

Regarding this baking soda and vinegar reaction. I'm puzzled, because some sites are talking about unclogging drains by using this specific reaction [website redacted]. To be honest, I've tried it, and for some reason it works in most cases. But - if those two ingredients "cancel" each other, what is the deal with this unclogging functionality? How could it work?

The acid/base does neutralize one another--but not before they have a bubbly reaction! This is how vinegar and baking soda can sometimes be used to unclog drains. Does that help, Emilia?

That's fair!

We're not sure, edwina! That would be a great thing for you to research. Let us know what you find out! 

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Hmm, sounds like it is the baking soda, but we encourage you to take a Wonder Journey if want to look into this further!!

Hi, kitten! The type of container shouldn't matter, as long as you're mixing the baking soda and vinegar! If it's a smaller container with a narrow opening, though, it can be more impressive!

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It turns into a volcano ?

Hi, i like pie!! This sounds like it would be an excellent experiment!! Why don't you take a Wonder Journey and see what you discover!! Let us know!! ?

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Hmm...we aren't sure.  We have never tried that before.  We encourage you to try it (with adult supervision) and report back!  A science experiment!! ?

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That sounds amazing!  Did you make one of those volcanoes in science class?

Go for it!  But be safe (and maybe ask a parent first).

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Go for it!  Maybe get parental permission first.  Also, go outside.  Oh, and stand back.  Have fun!

SUPA HOT FIRE

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How are you making the faces? Let me try , B)

Totally.  What's with the shrimp, though?

Supa hot fire

The shrimp is completely random:D

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Bummer.  Hate when science experiments don't quite work out the way you hope.  Glad you are learning about this, though!

i will try the bubble bomb

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Question 1 of 3

Sodium bicarbonate is more commonly known by what name?

• a baking soda Correct!
• b baking powder Not Quite!
• c salt Not Quite!
• d vinegar Not Quite!

Question 2 of 3

The reaction between baking soda and vinegar produces what gas?

• a petroleum Not Quite!
• b oxygen Not Quite!
• c carbon dioxide Correct!
• d helium Not Quite!

Question 3 of 3

Vinegar reacts with baking soda due to what substance in vinegar?

• a helium Not Quite!
• b acetic acid Correct!
• c nitrogen Not Quite!
• d iron Not Quite!

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Fun & Easy Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiments for Kids

Krystal DeVille

August 1, 2023

One of the simplest but satisfying DIY science experiments is the baking soda and vinegar reaction.

From volcanoes to bottle rockets, this experiment packs a punch. Fun for kids (and adults) of all ages, the baking soda, and the vinegar experiment are fun ways to learn about chemical reactions.

Table of Contents

How Baking Soda & Vinegar Reaction Works – a Simple Explanation

When baking soda and vinegar come together, a chemical reaction occurs. Chemical reactions are a process where two different things come together to make something new.

In this chemical reaction baking soda and vinegar make bubbles of carbon dioxide gas. The chemical reaction is what makes the mixture fizz.

How The Reaction Works – A Complex Explanation

Baking soda and vinegar experiments are an endothermic, acid-base reaction. Baking soda is the base , and vinegar is the acid .

What’s a Base:

In chemistry, a base is a chemical species which donates electrons, takes protons, or releases hydroxide (OH-) ions in an aqueous solution. Bases display specific characteristic properties which may be utilized to help identify them. ( Definition from ThoughtCo.com )

They are usually slippery to the touch (e.g., soap), may taste bitter, react with acids to form salts, and catalyze particular reactions.

What’s an Acid:

An acid is a chemical species which donates protons or hydrogen ions and/or takes electrons . Most acids have a hydrogen atom ensured that may discharge (dissociate) to give a cation and an anion in water.

The higher the concentration of hydrogen ions generated by an acid, the greater its acidity and the lower the pH of the solution. ( Definition from ThoughtCo.com )

When baking soda and vinegar are mixed, it releases an unstable substance called carbonic acid. The carbonic acid breaks down into carbon dioxide gas and water. As the gas quickly leaves the water, the substance fizzes.

The process is endothermic, which means the reaction absorbs heat from its’ environment. This energy is what activates the chemical reaction. Endothermic reactions are cold, which is why the baking soda and vinegar mixture becomes cold to touch.

Kids Science Activity With Baking Soda and Vinegar

Now that we have the reason for the reaction with baking soda and vinegar, let’s get into the fun part, science experiments!

Easy Baking Soda and Vinegar Reaction

This first one will be very straight forward with only a few things needed. Your basically just mixing the chemicals together with different ratios each time and documenting with ratio gives the biggest reaction.

Supplies Needed

Here is what you will need for a successful baking soda and vinegar reaction:

• Baking Soda. (This is a big bag of baking soda we used from Amazon)
• White Vinegar. (This is the bottle of White Vinegar we used fro Amazon but you should be able to find it easy at a supermarket too)
• A Container (I.E., a plastic bottle or a water cup)
• Food Coloring (optional, but it can add fun to the experiment. Using different food colorings (Amazon link) is a great way to compare experiments). You can also find this at just about any supermarket as well.
• Table Spoon or Measuring Cup (this will depend on your container’s size and how big of a reaction you want to see).

Step By Step Process

Now, here’s how you do it:

Fill your container with baking soda. If your container is on the smaller side, I recommend one tablespoon of baking soda.

If you are using a large container, you could add more baking soda. Experiment with different amounts to find out what creates the most fizz.

Now, you’ll need to add vinegar. The more vinegar, the more explosive the reaction (unless you add TOO much).

A 12 to 1 ratio of vinegar to baking soda is a good place to start. So, if you used one tablespoon of baking soda, add 12 tablespoons of white vinegar.

Watch your creation fizz and bubble! Try experimenting with different ratios of vinegar and baking soda to add to the learning experience.

Notice the reaction times of the baking soda and vinegar when you change the amounts used. How are they similar? How are they different?

Rainbow Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiment

This experiment was more for my five-year-old daughter but it turned out my eight-year-old son loved it too.

I thought this one was going to get a little messy so we took it outside. It’s also a good idea if your kids are in play clothes just in case they get a little wild with this STEM experiment.

If you’re already going to have everything out from doing the basic experiment from above you might as well do this one too; my kids loved this one!

• Baking soda & Vinegar (of course right!?) (Both links go to Amazon)
• A baking sheet to spread the baking soda. A baking sheet works well.
• Food coloring.
• A small dropper like this one from Amazon, bright color droppers.
• This is optional because we wanted to see how half the baking sheet would react with Pure Citric Acid. (Amazon link)

Fill the baking tray up with baking soda. Make sure to put a smooth layer covering the pan evenly.

Add droplets of food coloring in different spots. Use different colors to surprise your kids when doing to experiment.

Use a thin layer of baking soda to cover up the food coloring droplets. This layer doesn’t need to be that thick.

Take the baking sheet outside or in a safe area, use the dropper with vinegar to find the area with the food coloring. Kids will find it fun to discover where the different colors are on the baking sheet hiding in the baking soda.

Baking Soda and Vinegar Balloon Experiment

This is another fun chemistry science experiment kids will love! Watching a balloon fill up from a chemistry got a big reaction from my kids.

• A plastic bottle. We used a water bottle, (16oz).
• Baking Soda & Vinegar (Amazon links). A 12 to 1 ratio of vinegar to baking soda is a good place to start.
• A balloon of any color.
• A funnel to easily fill the ballon with baking soda.

Use the funnel to add baking soda inside the balloon. We also tried it the other way of filling the balloon with vinegar but the kids spilled some vinegar that way.

Fill the plastic bottle with vinegar.

Secure the lip of the balloon on the top of the plastic bottle. Make sure not to spill any of the baking soda in the bottle yet or the chemical reaction will happen before you fully secure the balloon.

My kids had a bit of trouble getting the balloon on so you’ll have to help with this step.

Tilt the baking soda inside the balloon into the bottle of vinegar!

If you’d like to check out another fun kids’ chemistry experiment, click to see our, Exploding Colors Experiment with Baking Soda & Vinegar. Also, our 6 Simple Chemistry Experiments for Kids That You Can Do at Home .

Baking Soda Rocket

This is a fun one my kids really enjoyed. You can see when the rocket took off, and it caught them off guard.

You can build a rocket from stuff you have at home already, but we decided to buy a kit with the rocket already. If you want to check out the baking soda rocket kit, we ended up getting, you can follow this link to see the current price.

The kit will come with instructions but you’re going to set your base on solid grown, away from anything you don’t want messy.

Put vinegar in the bottle. Then add the baking soda. Quickly push the cork down into the opening. Set the rocket down, and a few seconds later, the rocket will take off.

Safety Tips

Remember to use basic safety precautions when trying this experiment. At large amounts, this can be somewhat explosive (in a good way). If you have limited space, try using smaller amounts of each substance.

If you are trying for a HUGE reaction, go outside. Eye protection is highly recommended when performing this experiment, especially at high volumes.

Don’t stand directly over the container – make sure to keep your distance. Have plenty of towels and clean up supplies ready to go.

Questions and Answers About Mixing Baking Soda and Vinegar Together

What Happens When You Mix Vinegar and Baking Soda Together?

When you mix baking soda and vinegar, a chemical reaction occurs. The chemical reaction creates carbon dioxide gas, which causes the mixture to fizz.

What Affects the Rate of the Baking Soda and Vinegar Reaction?

Temperature will affect the rate of the baking soda and vinegar reaction. Higher temperatures will cause a faster reaction, while colder temperatures will cause a slower reaction.

Does Baking Soda and Vinegar Get Hot?

No, baking soda and vinegar will actually get cold. This is because it is an endothermic reaction, which consumes energy.

What Is the Chemical Reaction of Vinegar and Baking Soda Called?

The chemical reaction of vinegar and baking soda is called an acid-base reaction. When an acid (vinegar) is combined with a base (baking soda), it creates something new (carbon dioxide gas).

Wrapping Up

We like that these are simple and relatively mess free science experiments you can do at home. There’s a ton of ways of mixing baking soda and vinegar together, but let us know what you and your family found to be the best way down in the comments!

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Fun & Easy Baking Soda and Vinegar Science Experiments

Published: July 5, 2022

Contributor: Jeannette Tuionetoa

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you decide to make a purchase via my links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. See my disclosure for more info.

If you have baking soda and vinegar at home, it is all you need for super science fun. These baking soda and vinegar science experiments are easy to do and your kids will love them!

Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiments

What is the best thing about vinegar and baking soda science experiments? You have everything you need right in your pantry! These fun and cheap science experiments may be super easy, yet they will still add excitement to your science lessons.

Basic Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiments

If you are looking for a simple baking soda and vinegar experiment, try this classic.

Classic Vinegar and Baking Soda Science Experiment

Here are the materials needed for this classic science experiment:

• Baking soda
• Tall and narrow plastic container
• Rimmed tray to make sure it captures any overflows
• Food coloring

Vinegar and Baking Soda Experiment Directions

• Pour baking soda into the plastic container and add a few drops of the food coloring.
• Pour vinegar over the baking soda and drops of food coloring with a medicine dropper.
• Watch in awe as the reaction bubbles up and fizzles over the edge of the container. Add props like Legos or toys to make a whole scene of bubbly, fizzy fun.

Homemade Fizzy Sidewalk Paint

Here are the materials needed for the Homemade Fizzy Sidewalk Chalk Paint science experiment:

• 2 cups of baking soda
• 1 cup of cornstarch

Fizzy Sidewalk Paint Directions

• Grab a squirt or squeeze bottle, muffin tins, and paint brushes.
• Mix the ingredients all together and pour them into the muffin tins. Of course, do this a few times with different colors.
• Grab paint brushes, get outdoors and start your creations.

Baking Soda Vinegar Volcano

I am sure you have seen a baking and soda and vinegar volcano, right? This easy baking soda and vinegar volcano eruption is fun and your kids can do it independently.

This experiment only takes about three minutes to prep . Here are the materials needed for easy baking soda and vinegar volcano eruption for kids:

• Plastic cup
• 4 tbs of baking soda
• 1 tsp of dish soap
• ½ oz to 2 oz of washable paint
• 1 cup  of vinegar (8 oz of vinegar that will start your eruption)

How to Make Your Volcano Erupt

• Have your young children make a mound of gravel and place the cup on top of it with gravel developing it into a mountain shape.
• Combine all the ingredients together.
• Pour the mixture into the cup and then the vinegar when you are ready for eruption.

Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiment for Kids

This is a fun take on a simple experiment. Check out this baking soda and vinegar powered boat .

Baking Soda and Vinegar Powered Boat

Here are the materials needed for Baking Soda and Vinegar Powered Boat experiment:

• Small empty plastic water bottle
• Kitchen paper roll
• Straw vinegar
• Bath or large tub/container

Directions for Baking Soda and Vinegar Powered Boat Experiment

• Pierce a hole in the water bottle for the star to go through it. Tape up the gap to prevent any air from escaping the water bottle.
• Pour vinegar into the plastic bottle and then replace the lid.
• Tap some baking soda on a small piece of kitchen roll.
• Stuff the tissue-wrapped baking soda in the bottle and swiftly cover it with the lid.
• Place the plastic bottle in the water and just watch it zoom away.

Baking Soda and Vinegar Reaction

So, what exactly happens with a baking soda and vinegar reaction? Mixing vinegar (acetic acid) and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) together cause a chemical reaction that makes salt (sodium acetate), water, and carbon dioxide gas. These experiments are exciting for students to do.

There are two separate reactions when baking soda and vinegar mix. There is an acid base reaction and a decomposition reaction.

Acid-based reaction – Hydrogen ions and vinegar react with the sodium and bicarbonate ions that are in baking soda. The result is two chemicals called carbonic acid and sodium acetate.

Decomposition reaction – The carbonic acid and sodium acetate from the acid-based reaction decompose into water (H2O) and carbon dioxide gas.

Baking Soda And Vinegar Science Experiments FAQ

Here are some common questions people ask when mixing baking soda and vinegar.

What happens when you mix baking soda and vinegar and water?

Mixing baking soda and vinegar and water produces carbon dioxide gas which forms bubbles in the foaming mixture. It forms a fizzing reaction of carbon dioxide that consequently is awesome for cleaning and freshening sinks and drains.

What happens if you mix baking soda vinegar and food coloring?

It is important to listen in when mixing the baking soda vinegar and food coloring to hear the fizz. Mixing these three items develops a fizzy foam full of food coloring colors. Make a rainbow or use your young scientist’s favorite colors for a super cool colourful chemical reaction science experiment.

What science experiments can you do with baking soda?

Here is a list of experiments that can be done with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate).

• Baking soda paint
• Blow-up balloon science
• Fizzing Dinosaur Eggs
• Fizzing Sidewalk Paint
• Sandbox Eruption
• Slime Volcano

What science experiments can I do with vinegar?

Here is a list of experiments that can be done with vinegar (acetic acid).

• Vinegar and Milk Shapes
• Color Mixing Science Activity
• Vinegar Penny Magic
• Nails, Wire, and Vinegar
• Gas, bubbles, eruption!
• Fizzing Rubber Band Snap Art

In Conclusion

Big kids and even a busy toddler will have a great time enjoying these exciting experiments that are super easy, but loads of learning fun. 

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Jeannette Tuionetoa

Jeannette is a wife, mother and homeschooling mom. She has been mightily, saved by grace and is grateful for God’s sovereignty throughout her life’s journey. She has a Bachelor in English Education and her MBA. Jeannette is bi-lingual and currently lives in the Tongan Islands of the South Pacific. She posts daily freebies for homeschoolers!

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Make Hot Ice From Baking Soda and Vinegar

Hot ice is another name for sodium acetate (CH 3 COONa or NaOAc). It is the sodium salt of acetic acid, which is the key component of vinegar. Hot ice gets its name from the way it solidifies. A solution of sodium acetate supercooled below its melting point suddenly crystallizes. Heat is released and the crystal resemble ice so… “hot ice.” All you need to make sodium acetate and crystallize it into hot ice is baking soda and vinegar. It’s a great chemistry demonstration because it illustrates chemical reactions, supercooling, crystallization, and exothermic processes . From start to finish, the project takes less than an hour. Once you have the sodium acetate, you can melt and crystallize it over and over again.

You only need two ingredients, plus a pan and stove:

• 1 liter Vinegar (weak acetic acid)
• 4 tablespoons Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)

The quantities of baking soda and vinegar are not critical so long as all of the baking soda dissolves. If measuring the ingredients isn’t an option, just dissolve baking soda in vinegar until no more dissolves, filter off the liquid using a coffee filter or paper towel to remove any solids, and proceed from there.

Be sure to use plain white (clear) vinegar and not cider, red wine, or some other colored vinegar. You can substitute sodium carbonate (washing soda) or sodium hydroxide (caustic soda or lye) for the baking soda. If you have access to pure sodium acetate (inexpensive online), you can skip the procedure to make it and go directly to the step for re-using it.

• The first step is reacting the baking soda and vinegar . Stir baking soda into vinegar a little at a time. If you add it all at once, you’ll basically get the classic baking soda and vinegar volcano and could overflow your pan! The reaction between baking soda and vinegar produces sodium acetate, water, and carbon dioxide gas: Na + [HCO 3 ] –  + CH 3 –COOH → CH 3 –COO –  Na +  + H 2 O + CO 2 However, at this point there’s too much water for the sodium acetate to crystallize.
• Next, concentrate the solution by boiling it. It took me about an hour at medium heat to reduce the volume from a liter to about 100-150 milliliters. Don’t use high heat because you may get discoloration (golden or brown). The discoloration doesn’t ruin the sodium acetate, but the hot ice will look a bit like you made it from yellow snow. You’ll know you’ve boiled off enough water when a crystalline skin starts to form on the surface of the liquid.
• Once you see a skin, immediately remove the pan from the heat. Carefully pour the liquid into a clean container and cover the new container with plastic wrap or a lid to prevent further evaporation. You should get crystals in the pan, which you can use as seed crystals for activities, but the liquid in the new container should not contain any crystals. If you do have crystals, stir in a very small volume of water or vinegar to dissolve the crystals. If the entire solution crystallizes, add more water and go back to the stove to boil it down again.
• Place the covered container of sodium acetate solution in the refrigerator to chill it. It’s also fine to let the solution cool to room temperature on its own, but this takes longer. Either way, reducing the temperature produces a supercooled liquid. That is, the sodium acetate remains liquid below its freezing point.

Hot Ice Activities

Solidification of sodium acetate is the basis for one type of hot pack , but it’s also great for crystallization demonstrations. Three popular activities are the “sea urchin,” “flower,” and “tower.”

• Sea Urchin : Pour the cooled liquid into a clear container. Use a toothpick or bamboo skewer to scrape a few sodium acetate crystals from the pan used to make the solution. Dip the toothpick into the liquid so the tip with crystals are in the middle of the container. Needle-like crystals immediately grow out from the center. Also, crystallization releases heat as chemical bonds form to make the solid. The final structure resembles a spiny sea urchin.
• Flower : Pour the cooled sodium acetate liquid into a flat dish (preferably a dark-colored one). Scrape one or more crystals from the pan and drop them onto the liquid. The crystals act as seeds . The hot ice crystals spread out radially and form structures that resemble flowers.
• Tower : Place a few crystals onto a surface. Slowly pour the liquid onto the crystals. The hot ice solidifies as you pour the liquid, forming a tower (or whatever shape you can manage).

Re-Using Hot Ice

Save the solid sodium acetate so you can use it again without going through the whole baking soda-and-vinegar process. Simply dissolve the hot ice in water and boil off the smaller amount of excess water.

Safety Information

Sodium acetate is a safe, non-toxic chemical, so it’s perfect for chemistry demonstrations. It is used as a food additive to enhance flavor and is a key ingredient in some chemical hot packs. The heat released by hot ice crystallization of a refrigerated solution doesn’t present a burn hazard. However, making hot ice from baking soda and vinegar does involve boiling liquid on a stove, so adult supervision is required. If you use sodium hydroxide in place of baking soda, heed the cautions on the product label.

• ChemEd Xchange (2019). “ Crystallization of Supersaturated Sodium Acetate – Demonstration .”
• Clayden, Jonathan; Greeves, Nick; Warren, Stuart; Wothers, Peter (2001). Organic Chemistry (1st ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-850346-0.
• Seidell, Atherton; Linke, William F. (1952). Solubilities of Inorganic and Organic Compounds . Van Nostrand.

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Chalk Academy

Baking Soda and Vinegar Science Experiments: Color Explosion for Kids!

Over the years, our kids have enjoyed dozens of baking soda and vinegar experiments! We regularly use baking soda and vinegar for cleaning, and my kids love these ingredients for special science fun. Color explosions are definitely among their favorite hands-on activities !

Chalk Academy is reader-supported. Some of the links are affiliate links. When you buy something through an affiliate link, we may earn a very small commission at no cost to you. Details here .

Since we’re raising bilingual children , we try to make our non-dominant language, Chinese, as fun as possible. I’ve shared before about how new experiences are the key to making the minority language memorable. During these baking soda and vinegar experiments, try to encourage the minority language while your child is excited and interested!

I’ll share the basic science behind this baking soda and vinegar reaction, relevant Chinese translations, and 4 of my kids’ favorite versions of this activity!

The science behind baking soda and vinegar experiments

Recommended materials, the main chemical ingredients.

• Please note that this is different than baking powder 泡打粉 (pāo dǎfěn) or 发酵粉 / 發酵粉 (fāxiào fěn)
• White vinegar 白醋 (báicù)

Supplemental supplies

• Food coloring 食用色素 (shíyòng sèsù)
• Pipette 滴管 (dī guǎn)
• Containers 容器 (róngqì): Cups 杯子 (bēizi), bottles 瓶子 (píngzi), or shot glasses 酒杯 (jiǔbēi)
• Flat pan 平底锅 / 平底鍋 (píngdǐ guō)
• Digital pH scale or paper pH strips

Baking soda and vinegar chemical reaction

Chemical reactions occur when 2 molecules interact to form new compounds or molecules. If you’re wondering if a chemical reaction is happening, look for changes in:

• Temperature
• State of matter (eg, formation of gas [bubbles] or solid [precipitate])

In this activity, baking soda (eg, sodium bicarbonate, NaHCO₃) is interacting with vinegar (eg, combination of water [H 2 O] and acetic acid [CH₃COOH].

Before adding food coloring, I suggest exploring the properties of baking soda and vinegar alone!

For older kids who are learning about acids and bases, you can use pH strips to compare baking soda and vinegar. Acids have a proton (hydrogen ion, H+) that they want to get rid, while bases want protons.

When baking soda (solid 固体, base 碱) dissolves in vinegar (liquid 液体, acid 酸), protons are being exchanged. During the chemical reaction, carbon dioxide gas is released, causing visible bubbles and audible fizzing! Water is also left behind, which is why the leftover liquid doesn’t keep bubbling when the reaction is over.

If you’re curious about the chemical equation, check out this article from Thought Co ! Also check out Thomas Gray’s Elements Trilogy (3-book series) to learn about elements, molecules, and reactions with your kids!

Questions to explore during baking soda and vinegar experiments

Factors that increase chemical reaction rates.

• Concentration

How much baking soda and vinegar do you need?

I think this question in and of itself would be great to explore with your kids rather than me giving the answer we discovered! 🙂

Explore different volumes of vinegar and baking soda to see how the concentration affects the reaction!

Should you add baking soda or vinegar first?

We have experimented with pouring baking soda into vinegar as well as vinegar into baking soda. Again, this would be a great experiment to try with your kids so that your family can compare the reactions!

We found that pouring vinegar into baking soda results in instant bubbling and fizzing, while the reverse took a little longer. Why did this happen? The pressure and speed of the liquid vinegar hitting the baking soda accelerated the chemical reaction. On the other hand, the lightweight baking soda reached the liquid vinegar at a lower speed and pressure.

Other scientific questions

• Does the temperature of the vinegar affect the reaction?
• Does stale versus fresh baking soda affect the reaction?
• What is the pH of each food dye, and how does it affect the reaction?

Science activity vocabulary in Chinese and English

For parents like me who are learning Chinese with their kids , here are key words and phrases in simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, Hanyu Pinyin, and English.

If you have younger kids, focus on common verbs (guess, pour, explode), adjectives (color, wet, dry), and nouns (eg names of materials). For older and/or more fluent kids, introduce science terms with the activity.

Important words/phrases

• Solid 固体 / 固體 (gùtǐ)
• Liquid 液体 / 液體 (yètǐ)
• Gas 气体 / 氣體(qìtǐ)
• States of matter 物质状态 / 物質狀態 (wùzhí zhuàngtài)
• Physical form 物质形态 / 物質形態 (wùzhí xíngtài)
• Chemical reaction 化学反应 / 化學反應 (huàxué fǎnyìng)
• Color explosion 颜色爆炸 / 顏色爆炸 (yánsè bàozhà)

Important sentences

• Today, we’re going to do an experiment! 今天，我们要做一个实验！ / 今天，我們要做一個實驗！(Jīntiān, wǒmen yào zuò yīgè shíyàn!)
• We need these materials. 我们需要这些材料。/ 我們需要這些材料 。(Wǒmen xūyào zhèxiē cáiliào.)
• Can you guess what will happen? 你能猜会发生什么吗？/ 你能猜會發生什麼嗎? (Nǐ néng cāi huì fāshēng shénme ma?)
• Baking soda is a solid. 小苏打是固体。 / 小蘇打是固體。(Xiǎo sūdǎ shì gùtǐ.)
• Pour the baking soda here. 小苏打应该倒在这里。 / 小蘇打應該倒在這裡。(Xiǎo sūdǎ yīnggāi dǎo zài zhèlǐ.)
• Vinegar is a liquid. 醋是液体。 / 醋是液體。 (Cù shì yètǐ.)
• Pour the vinegar here. 醋要倒在这里。/ 醋要倒在這裡。(Cù yào dào zài zhèlǐ.)
• It’s okay if you spilled. 如果你洒了, 没关系。/ 如果你灑了，沒關係。(Rúguǒ nǐ sǎle, méiguānxì.)
• Please use this towel to wipe the table. 请用这条毛巾擦桌子。/ 請用這條毛巾擦桌子。(Qǐng yòng zhè tiáo máojīn cā zhuōzi.)
• Try it again. 再试一次。/ 再試一次。(Zài shì yīcì.)
• Red 红色 / 紅色 (hóngsè)
• Orange 橙色 (chéngsè)
• Yellow 黄色 / 黃色 (huángsè)
• Green 绿色 / 綠色 (lǜsè)
• Blue 蓝色 / 藍色 (lánsè)
• Purple 紫色 (zǐsè)
• Pink 粉红色 / 粉紅色 (fěnhóng sè)
• Brown 棕色 (zōngsè)
• Black 黑色 (hēisè)
• White 白色 (báisè)
• Wow! So cool! 哇! 非常酷！(Wa! Fēicháng kù!)
• It’s bubbling! 冒泡了！ (Mào pàole!)
• Hear the fizzing sound? 听到嘶嘶声吗？/ 聽到嘶嘶聲嗎？(Tīng dào sī sī shēng ma?)
• It formed a gas. 它变成了气体。/ 它變成了氣體。 (Tā biàn chéngle qìtǐ.)
• This color explosion is a chemical reaction! 这种颜色爆炸是化学反应！/ 這種顏色爆炸是化學反應！ (Zhè zhǒng yánsè bàozhà shì huàxué fǎnyìng!)
• This is fun! 这个很有趣！/ 這個很有趣！(Zhège hěn yǒuqù!)
• Let’s do this again! 让我们再做一次! / 讓我們再做一次! (Ràng wǒmen zài zuò yīcì!)

Try this : Positive Affirmations to Tell Our Kids Everyday (English / Chinese Printable)

4 fun baking soda and vinegar color activities for kids!

Here are 4 favorite ways that we have explored baking soda and vinegar with a color explosion twist! Adult supervision required.

Bubbly rainbow fountains!

• First, pour vinegar into small cups. 首先，把醋倒进小杯子里。/ 首先，把醋倒進小杯子裡。(Shǒuxiān, bǎ cù dào jìn xiǎo bēizi lǐ.)
• Add a few drops of food coloring. 加几滴食用色素。/ 加幾滴食用色素。 (Jiā jǐ dī shíyòng sèsù.)
• Pour baking soda into a flat pan. 把小苏打倒进平底锅里。/ 把小蘇打倒進平底鍋裡。 (Bǎ xiǎo sū dǎdǎo jìn píngdǐ guō lǐ.)
• Scoop baking soda into the cups. 把小苏打倒进醋里。/ 把小蘇打倒進醋裡。 (Bǎ xiǎo sū dǎdǎo jìn cù lǐ.)

The kids had fun watching the cups overflow if they scooped a “full spoon” of baking soda rather than a fraction of a spoon.

Although regular spoons were used in the above photo, measuring spoons would be a more scientific way to compare reactions!

Rainbow fizz!

Here’s another variation of the baking soda and vinegar reaction!

• First, pour baking soda into a flat pan. 首先，把小苏打倒进平底锅里。/ 首先，把小蘇打倒進平底鍋裡。 (Shǒuxiān, bǎ xiǎo sū dǎdǎo jìn píngdǐ guō lǐ.)
• Pour vinegar into small cups. 把醋倒进小杯子里。/ 把醋倒進小杯子裡。(Dào jìn xiǎo bēizi lǐ.)
• With pipettes, squirt vinegar into baking soda. 用滴管把醋滴进小苏打里。/ 用滴管把醋滴進小蘇打裡。(Yòng dī guǎn bǎ cù dī jìn xiǎo sūdǎ lǐ.)

This time, colored vinegar was squirted into the baking soda with pipettes . We noticed that the bubbling occurred instantly, no matter how much vinegar was added. Since the pipettes have numbers, we could compare number of milliliters and visible bubbling.

Bubbly blocks!

To experiment with temperature, we froze blocks of baking soda in an ice cube tray! Mix 1/2 cup of water and 1 cup of baking soda and divide equally in the ice cube tray. If you want to add food coloring, just add a few drops of the desired color to each cube!

Rainbow surprise!

Another favorite is this mystery colors spinoff that was inspired by various activity moms including Busy Toddler ! As you can imagine, this is the messiest but most exciting version of the baking soda and science activity. My kids had fun squirting food coloring at the bottom of each muffin cup and hiding it with baking soda. Then the best part: squirt vinegar for fizzy color surprises!

Have you tried these fun baking soda and vinegar science experiments?

If you try these fun science activities, please let us know in the comments below! What age(s) are your kid(s) and how did it go? We’d love to hear about your learning experience!

More bilingual science resources for kids

• Recommended Human Anatomy Toys | Science Gifts for Kids
• Chinese and English science books for kids
• Magic School Bus Picture and Chapter Books

Dr. Betty Choi is a Harvard-trained pediatrician and mother on a mission to connect families through language and play. Chalk Academy was inspired by her trials and triumphs with relearning a heritage language and raising bilingual children in a monolingual community. Dr. Choi's advice has been featured in PBS, CNN, Parents, Healthline, and The Atlantic.

AMAZING!! This helped me a lot with my science project. Thx for the ideas!

You’re welcome, Stephanie! So glad it was helpful!

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