Baking Soda Science Projects

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If you have baking soda, you have the prime ingredient for a slew of science experiments! Here's a look at some of the projects you can try, including the classic baking soda volcano and growing baking soda crystals.

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Baking Soda and Vinegar Volcano

The volcano has been filled with water, vinegar, and a little detergent. Adding baking soda causes it to erupt. Anne Helmenstine

If you only try one baking soda science project, make a baking soda and vinegar volcano. You can color the liquid to make the volcano erupt 'lava' or go with the original white eruption. The baking soda reacts with vinegar, a weak acid, to form water and carbon dioxide gas. If you add a small amount of detergent to the volcano, the gas gets trapped to make a thick foam.

02of 13

Baking Soda Stalagmites and Stalactites

It's easy to simulate the growth of stalactites and stalagmites using household ingredients. Anne Helmenstine

Baking soda is a good material for growing homemade stalagmites and stalactites. The non-toxic crystals form quickly and show up well against a dark-colored yarn. It's easiest to use gravity to get crystals to grow downward (stalactites), but constant dripping from the center of the yard will produce upward growing crystals (stalagmites), too.

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Dancing Gummy Worms

Gummy Worms Candy. Lauri Patterson, Getty Images

Use baking soda and vinegar to make gummy worms dance in a glass. This is a fun project that demonstrates how vinegar and baking soda produce carbon dioxide gas bubbles.

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Baking Soda Invisible Ink

This smiley face was made with invisible ink. The face became visible when the paper was heated. Anne Helmenstine

Baking soda is one of many common household ingredients you can use to make invisible ink. All you need is baking soda and a bit of water to write a secret message. Baking soda weakens the cellulose fibers in paper. The damage is invisible under ordinary conditions but can be revealed by apply heat.

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Make Black Snakes

Black Snake Firework. ISTC

Black snakes are a type of non-exploding firework that pushes out a snake-like column of black ash. They are one of the safest and easiest fireworks to make, plus the homemade ones smell like burnt sugar.

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Test Baking Soda for Freshness

Baked Goods Made from Wheat. Keith Weller, USDA Agricultural Research Service

Baking soda loses its effectiveness over time. It's easy to test whether or not your baking soda is still good, so you'll know if it will work for science projects or baking. It's also possible to recharge baking soda to get it to work again.

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Ketchup and Baking Soda Volcano

Ketchup contains vinegar, which reacts with baking soda to produce an extra-special lava for a chemical volcano. Anne Helmenstine

There's more than one way to make a baking soda chemical volcano. The advantage of reacting ketchup with baking soda is that you get a thick, red eruption without having to add any dye or colorant.

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Baking Soda Crystals

These are crystals of baking soda or sodium bicarbonate that have grown overnight on a pipecleaner. Anne Helmenstine

Baking soda forms delicate white crystals. Typically, you'll get small crystals, but they grow quickly and form interesting shapes. If you want to get larger crystals, take one of these small seed crystals and add it to a saturated solution of baking soda and water.

09of 13

Make Sodium Carbonate

This is powdered sodium carbonate, also known as washing soda or soda ash. Ondřej Mangl, public domain

Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. It's simple to use it to make a related non-toxic chemical, sodium carbonate, which can be used for a host of other science projects.

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Homemade Fire Extinguisher

Blow out a candle by pouring a glass of what appears to be air onto the flame. This easy science trick demonstrates what happens when air is replaced with carbon dioxide. Anne Helmenstine

The carbon dioxide you can make from baking soda can be used as a homemade fire extinguisher. While you won't have enough CO₂ to put out a serious blaze, you can fill a glass with the gas to extinguish candles and other small flames.

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Honeycomb Candy Recipe

Honeycomb candy has an interesting texture from bubbles of carbon dioxide getting trapped in the candy. Anne Helmenstine

Baking soda produces bubbles that cause baked goods to rise. You can also cause it to produce bubbles in other foods, such as this candy. The bubbles get trapped inside a matrix of sugar, producing an interesting texture.

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Make Hot Ice

This is a photograph of sodium acetate crystals. Anne Helmenstine

Baking soda is a key ingredient to make sodium acetate or hot ice. Hot ice is a supersaturated solution that remains liquid until you touch it or disturb it. Once crystallization is initiated, hot ice evolves heat as it forms icy shapes.

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Make Baking Powder

Baking powder causes cupcakes to rise. You can use either single-acting or double-acting baking powder, but double-acting powder ensures success. Lara Hata, Getty Images

Baking powder and baking soda are two different products used to make baked goods rise. You can use baking powder in place of baking soda in a recipe, although the result may taste a bit different. However, you have to add another ingredient to baking soda in order to make baking powder.

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