Q&A for How to Make a Soda Bottle Volcano

When you add vinegar to bicarbonate of soda, a chemical reaction occurs – the result is "carbonic acid." This is an unstable substance – you can tell from all the fizzing! The mixture instantly separates into a gas and a liquid, producing carbon dioxide and water.

Plain water will not react with the bicarbonate. The main ingredients are the vinegar and bicarbonate.

Pressure builds over great periods of time, and eventually they erupt and release all the pressure at once.

Normally about 10-30 seconds.

It would be a much bigger explosion. If you do that, make sure that you run away quickly or you will be covered in soda.

Yes, it will, if you have baking soda and vinegar. But you will at least need an empty bottle.

Use a pipe partly filled with water, and a pump. Pump hard and fast, and you will have a no-stain, easily done volcano that even works in a classroom.

Yes. It's very tried and true to make a volcano for a science project. Making it unique and discovering new ways to make it erupt captivates many.

No, it wouldn't.

If you're using the baking soda and vinegar method, then yes. However, you don't have to use that method if you don't want to.

You can just put 2 Mentos instead of adding 4. You can also do less Coke or whatever soda you are using.

As long as the lid is on the soda, yes. Make sure to cover areas you do not want to be painted. If you want it to look realistic, use acrylic paint.

No. You need the vinegar to react with the baking soda.

No. It will be fine anywhere between 5 and 30 C (because you don’t want the soda to freeze or evaporate).

You don’t have to, but the foam will last longer, making the effect more dramatic.

Build around it by placing a cone of mesh and the put a thick layer of papier mâché around the mesh.

You can use play dough, but it might have to be a thin layer. Or else the bottle might fall.

When you add vinegar to bicarbonate of soda, a chemical reaction occurs – the result is "carbonic acid." This is an unstable substance – you can tell from all the fizzing! The mixture instantly separates into a gas and a liquid, producing carbon dioxide and water. So yes, it makes a mess that you need to have prepared for in advance by covering surfaces and choosing an easy-to-clean place. If you don't place this experiment in an area that is easy to clean, it might stain or wet things.

Yes, but don't put rocks that are too big inside since it might hurt other people or not work because it is too heavy.

You can use a specific apple juice for the coke and Mentos, but not the vinegar and baking soda. If you are using apple juice, look for 1. Added sugar 2. Aspartame (a sweetener) 3. Sodium benzoate (a preservative) 4. If possible, carbon dioxide added. However, it might be a weak reaction. For vinegar and baking soda, the equation is- NaHCO3 + HC2H3O2 → NaC2H3O2 + H2O + CO2. You need acetic acid for the reaction.

I don't think so. The chemical reaction is- NaHCO3 + HC2H3O2 → NaC2H3O2 + H2O + CO2. You need sodium bicarbonate along with acetic acid for the reaction. You try using different forms such as bread soda, cooking soda or bicarbonate of soda, but the most common form is baking soda or border. Alternatively, you could use the coke and Mentos method.