carbon dioxide

Ask questions about projects relating to: aerodynamics or hydrodynamics, astronomy, chemistry, electricity, electronics, physics, or engineering.

Moderators: AmyCowen, kgudger, bfinio, MadelineB, Moderators

Locked
Afalala
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Jun 04, 2019 5:57 pm
Occupation: Student

carbon dioxide

Post by Afalala »

Hello,

I am working on some science questions and I'm stuck on a question.
Could you keep adding more and more acetic acid to the same amount of sodium bicarbonate to yield the same amount or even more carbon dioxide? Why?

Sincerely, Afalala
norman40
Former Expert
Posts: 1022
Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2014 1:49 pm
Occupation: retired chemist
Project Question: Volunteer
Project Due Date: n/a
Project Status: Not applicable

Re: carbon dioxide

Post by norman40 »

Hi Afalala,

Acetic acid reacts with sodium bicarbonate to form carbon dioxide. When all of the sodium bicarbonate has reacted no more carbon dioxide can be produced. Thus adding more acetic acid after the reaction is complete will have no effect on carbon dioxide production.

I hope this helps. Please ask again if you have more questions.

A. Norman
mujin00
Former Student Expert
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Feb 11, 2020 12:08 pm
Occupation: Student

Re: carbon dioxide

Post by mujin00 »

Hello,
In addition, you can polish your paper with a "limiting reactant vs excess reactant". Sodium bicarbonate would be limiting and acetic acid would be excess.

Hope this help,
BT
cnoonan180
Expert
Posts: 98
Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2019 9:33 am
Occupation: Student

Re: carbon dioxide

Post by cnoonan180 »

Hello and welcome to the forums!

When sodium bicarbonate reacts with acetic acid, the sodium bicarbonate acts as a limiting reactant, which means that after all of the atoms in sodium bicarbonate are used up to form compounds, no more products will form. Carbon dioxide is one of the products of the reaction, so once the limiting reactant is used up, adding more acetic acid will not produce more carbon dioxide since the sodium bicarbonate has been used up.

If you were to add more of the sodium bicarbonate, the remaining acetic acid could potentially react with it and form more carbon dioxide, since sodium bicarbonate is the limiting reactant, meaning it determines the amount of product that is formed, since no more products can be formed after it is used up.

Keep in mind that these forums are meant for asking questions related to science fair projects only!! If this is part of a science fair project you are working on, please feel free to provide more details and ask more questions!
Locked

Return to “Grades 6-8: Physical Science”