a student has an unknown powder and wants to determine what it is. based on appearance, the student believes it is baking soda. when perfomring the vinegar test, what can the student expect to happen if it is baking soda?

Answer 1

If the unknown powder is baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), the student can expect a chemical reaction to occur when vinegar (which contains acetic acid) is added to it. This reaction will produce carbon dioxide gas, resulting in bubbling or fizzing. The effervescence is a distinctive sign that indicates the presence of an acid-base reaction, confirming that the unknown powder is likely baking soda. Additionally, the reaction can be summarized by the following chemical equation:

\[ \text{NaHCO}_3 (s) + \text{CH}_3\text{COOH} (aq) \rightarrow \text{CO}_2 (g) + \text{H}_2\text{O} (l) + \text{CH}_3\text{COONa} (aq) \]

This means, if the powder is indeed baking soda, the student will observe bubbling and fizzing upon adding vinegar.