Exploding Plastic Bags

Question:
​What will happen when you put baking soda (base) with vinegar (acid) in a sealed plastic bag?

Hypothesis:
​We think that the baking soda and vinegar will create a chemical reaction creating a gas that will expand the bag which causes an explosion.

Materials:      

Picture
  • tissues
  • plastic zip lock bag
  • baking soda
  • measuring cup
  • spoon
  • plastic bin
  • vinegar

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Safety Procedures:
  • Don't put the bag on your head
  • Use safety goggles 
  • Don't stand too close to the experiment 


Special Needs:
  • Need to be close to a sink and garbage to throw out the extra vinegar and ziplock bags after the explosion

Procedure:

  1. Put 4 tsp. of baking soda in the middle of the tissue
  2. fold the tissue to make a little packet and tape it
  3. pour in 1/2 cup of vinegar in the ziplock bag 
  4. close the ziplock bag 3/4 of the way
  5. hold the bag over the bin
  6. hold the baking soda in the bag (do not drop the baking soda in the bag)
  7. finish sealing the bag
  8. drop the baking soda in the bag 
  9. shake the bag
  10. stand back and watch the explosion

Watch us in action:

The Science Behind It
The baking soda is a base and the vinegar is a acid and those two things together will create the CO2 gas that will expand the bag and cause it to explode. They exchange atoms to make the gas.



Conclusions

We conclude that when you mix an acid and a base, it will create a gas (CO2). The C02 fills the spaces until the bag expands and eventually explodes.
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About Jillian

Jillian is a 5th grade student in Ms. Colella’s class. She enjoys dancing, gymnastics and arts and crafts. During her free time she likes to make potions just for fun! She has Ms. Carvo for Science and enjoys learning new things. 

About Kaitlyn

Kaitlyn is a 5th grader in Mrs. Luke's class who loves to dance and play basketball. Cats are her favorite kind of animal; she has two of them. She also has a hamster that she likes to play with.