Safety Tips

Always have an adult present when doing this experiment. Wear safety goggles and protect your work surface. The reaction can be messy, so do it outside or in a sink.

Materials Needed

  • Baking soda (2-3 tablespoons)
  • Vinegar (1/2 cup)
  • Food coloring (red or orange)
  • Small container or cup
  • Dish soap (optional, for more foam)
  • Tray or large plate (to catch the eruption)

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. 1
    Prepare Your Volcano

    Place your container on the tray or plate. This will help catch any overflow from the eruption.

  2. 2
    Add Baking Soda

    Put 2-3 tablespoons of baking soda into your container. If you want more foam, add a few drops of dish soap.

  3. 3
    Add Color

    Add a few drops of red or orange food coloring to the baking soda. Mix it in gently.

  4. 4
    Create the Eruption

    Pour the vinegar into the container and watch the eruption begin!

Experiment Gallery

Baking soda in container

Step 1: Adding baking soda

Adding food coloring

Step 2: Mixing in food coloring

Pouring vinegar

Step 3: Pouring vinegar

Eruption in progress

Step 4: The eruption begins!

Foamy eruption

Step 5: Foamy eruption with dish soap

Final result

The final result

What's Happening?

This experiment demonstrates a chemical reaction between an acid (vinegar) and a base (baking soda). When they mix, they create carbon dioxide gas, which causes the eruption. The food coloring makes it look like lava!

Why Does This Happen?

Acid-Base Reaction: Vinegar is an acid (acetic acid) and baking soda is a base (sodium bicarbonate). When acids and bases mix, they neutralize each other and create new substances.

Chemical Equation:

CH₃COOH + NaHCO₃ → CH₃COONa + H₂O + CO₂

Vinegar + Baking Soda → Sodium Acetate + Water + Carbon Dioxide

Gas Formation: The carbon dioxide (CO₂) gas is what creates the bubbles and foam. This gas is the same one that makes soda fizzy and helps bread rise!

How Does It Work?

1. Mixing the Chemicals

When you pour vinegar into the baking soda, the acetic acid in vinegar immediately starts reacting with the sodium bicarbonate in baking soda.

2. Gas Production

The reaction produces carbon dioxide gas bubbles. These bubbles are what make the mixture foam and "erupt" out of the container.

3. The Eruption

As more gas is produced, the bubbles push the liquid mixture upward, creating the eruption effect. The dish soap (if added) traps the gas bubbles, making more foam.

4. The Color Effect

The food coloring doesn't participate in the chemical reaction - it just makes the eruption look more dramatic and volcano-like!

Real-World Connections

Natural Phenomena

Real Volcanoes: While not exactly the same, real volcanoes erupt when gases build up pressure underground. The pressure forces molten rock and gases to escape through the Earth's surface.

Food & Cooking

Baking: Baking soda reacts with acids in recipes (like buttermilk, yogurt, or cream of tartar) to make cakes, cookies, and bread rise. The carbon dioxide gas creates air pockets that make food fluffy.

Soda & Pop: Carbon dioxide gas is dissolved in drinks under pressure. When you open the bottle, the gas escapes, creating the fizzy bubbles you see and feel.

Safety & Technology

Fire Extinguishers: Some fire extinguishers use baking soda and acid reactions to produce carbon dioxide gas, which smothers fires by removing oxygen.

Car Batteries: Use acid-base reactions, but with sulfuric acid and lead plates, not vinegar and baking soda. The chemical reaction produces electricity to power your car.