Exploding Bags Activity Guide Student Module (Supported by P&G)

In this activity, students mix baking soda, warm water, and vinegar in a plastic bag and watch as reactants suddenly turn into products: a liquid and a gas. As the reaction proceeds and produces more gas, the plastic bag will inflate and then ‘explode’ open. Students can explore how matter changes form in chemical reactions, an acid-base reaction, that gases take up space, and that chemical reactions often coincide with thermal energy changes.