A VOLATILE SITUATION

Lisa’s younger sister, Hannah, is making a model of a volcano for her science class.  Lisa wonders if the gas produced during the reaction may be harmful to her. Hannah tells her she is using baking soda and vinegar, which seem like harmless reactants. Lisa knows from chemistry class that the products of a reaction are very different from the reactants.  She checks the labels on the containers to find the formulas for the compounds. The baking soda contains sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃).  The vinegar is a solution of acetic acid (HC₂H₃O₂).