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Vinegar + Baking Soda Explanation

The experiment baking soda and vinegar is one of the most popular. However, it is deceptively simple: what
appears to be one reaction is actually two, happening in quick succession. This reaction is an example of
a multi-step reaction.
What actually happens is this: the acetic acid (that's what makes vinegar sour) reacts with sodium bicarbonate (a
compound that's in baking soda) to form carbonic acid. It's really a double replacement reaction. Carbonic acid
is unstable, and it immediately falls apart into carbon dioxide and water (it's a decomposition reaction). The
bubbles you see from the reaction come from the carbon dioxide escaping the solution that is left. Carbon
dioxide is heavier than air, so, it flows almost like water when it overflows the container. It is a gas that you
exhale (though in small amounts), because it is a product of the reactions that keep your body going.
What's left is a dilute solution of sodium acetate in water.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_happens_when_baking_soda_and_vinegar_are_c
ombined
When Baking soda and vinegar are combined, it makes a fizzing reaction when the Acetic acid in
the vinegar reacts with Sodium Bicarbonate (the chemical name for baking soda).
The result is some water, Sodium Acetate and Carbon Dioxide gas (the bubbles).
What actually happens is this: the acetic acid (that's what makes vinegar sour) reacts with sodium
bicarbonate (a compound that's in baking soda) to form carbonic acid. It's really a double
replacementreaction. Carbonic acid is unstable, and it immediately falls apart into carbon dioxide
and water (it's adecomposition reaction). The bubbles you see from the reaction come from the
carbon dioxide escaping the solution that is left. Carbon dioxide is heavier than air, so, it flows
almost like water when it overflows the container. It is a gas that you exhale (though in small
amounts), because it is a product of the reactions that keep your body going.
What's left is a dilute solution of sodium acetate in water.
Chemical reactions:
Acetic Acid: CH3COOH -> CH3COO- + H+
Sodium Bicarbonate: NaHCO3 -> Na+ + HCO3 H++ HCO3- -> H2CO3 Carbonic Acid
H2CO3 -> H2O + CO2
It will "explode" in a way that most kids with those materials to hand could tell you about.

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Is mixing baking soda and vinegar cause a chemical or a

physical reaction?
Chemical reaction resulting in physical changes as well
Chemical reactions, resulting in chemical changes, occur when certain substances are mixed
together. Evidence of a chemical reaction may include production of a gas, a change in color, a
change in temperature, or formation of a precipitate.
In the demonstration part of this activity, you will be mixing an acid and a base - vinegar and baking
soda, to create a gas - carbon dioxide