When baking soda is combined with vinegar, a chemical reaction occurs. The reactants and products are shown in the table below.

Question

Reactants Products
Baking soda (solid) Sodium acetate (solid)
Vinegar (liquid) Water (liquid)
Carbon dioxide (gas)
Imagine that you combine 100 grams of baking soda and 50 grams of vinegar in an open beaker. After the reaction occurs, the contents of the beaker will have a mass less than 150 grams. Why?

A
The beaker absorbed some of the mass

B
Some of the products are gases that escape into the air

C
The reaction is incomplete and some reactants are left over

D
The reaction created new matter that has less mass

Answer 1

The correct answer is:

B. Some of the products are gases that escape into the air.

When baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) reacts with vinegar (acetic acid), carbon dioxide gas is produced as one of the products. Since the reaction takes place in an open beaker, the carbon dioxide gas can escape into the air, leading to a decrease in the total mass of the contents in the beaker.