Conservation of Mass Lab Investigation

Before our lab investigation we developed a problem and a hypothesis. Our problem was "Will a balloon expand with just pop rocks and soda." Our hypothesis was "If we pour pop rocks into a soda bottle, then it will expand the balloon and a similar reaction will happen with the baking soda and vinegar. After the experiment, I partially accepted and partially rejected my hypothesis.

Our results are as follows. The soda and pop rocks produced nothing more than a slight fizzle around the pop rocks. There was only enough gas released to inflate the balloon without expanding it. I did some research and found out why. When pop rocks and soda are mixed, it is a physical reaction, meaning that nothing changes form. The process that pop rocks are made is that under high pressure carbon dioxide is trapped inside of flavored sugar. When it is put in soda, it is simply dissolved, releasing a small amount of gas. When we tested vinegar and baking soda, it produced large white bubbles and a significantly larger amount of gas. The gas produced was enough to fully inflate the balloon. This is because it is a chemical change rather than a physical change. The baking soda reacts with the vinegar to produce carbon dioxide gas, which is why it bubbles when you mix them together. The following shows the reaction:

NaHCO₃(s) {baking soda} + CH₃COOH(aq) {vinegar} --> NaCH₃COO(aq) + CO₂(g) + H₂O(l)

In conclusion, the baking soda released much more gas and produced a much better result than the soda and pop rocks.