Hooked on Science: Expanding balloon

What happens when you mix vinegar and baking soda? You get a chemical reaction that produces carbon dioxide gas.

Materials

@graphic_body_indent_bullet:n Vinegar

* Baking soda

* Balloon

* Bottle

Instructions

STEP 1: Add the baking soda to the balloon.

STEP 2: Pour the vinegar into the bottle.

STEP 3: Without dropping in the baking soda, stretch the balloon over the opening of the bottle.

STEP 4: Hold up the balloon and allow the baking soda to fall into the bottle and observe.

Explanation

When you mixed the baking soda with the vinegar you caused a chemical reaction that created carbon dioxide gas. The carbon dioxide gas caused the balloon to expand.

Jason Lindsey is a science outreach educator with Hooked on Science. Check out his website www.hookedonscience.org for webcasts and experiments that might get you hooked on science. Send him your science questions at jlindseyhookedonscience.com. More science experiments can be found at www.semissourian.com.