1. Chemistry Behind Rocket Propellant
A lab in which vinegar and baking soda are used as rocket propellant
Picture: Lockheed Martin rocket
Source:

2. Day 1: Brainstorming
List on the board, common compounds such as orange juice, cleaning bleach, baking soda, lemonade, salt, cookie dough and vinegar. Ask students to make a two column chart listing acids in one column and bases in the other.
Tell the students to list the properties of acids and bases like taste, color change of litmus paper and reaction with metal.
Ask the students what happens in a chemical reaction?
Ask the students what happens when an acid and a base are mixed together?

3. Brainstorming Key
1. Acids: Orange juice, lemonade Bases: Cleaning bleach, baking soda 2. Acids: taste sour, blue litmus paper changes to red, produce a salt and a gas by reacting with metal Bases: taste bitter, red litmus paper changes to blue, no reaction with metal

4. Brainstorming Key
3. In a chemical reaction, reactants react to produce products. 4. When an acid and base are mixed together, they neutralize each other to produce a salt and water.

5. Day 1: Baking soda, a pure chemical is an ionic substance
Scientific name: Sodium bicarbonate
Chemical formula: NaHCO3
Nature: Basic
Reaction with water: When an ionic substance dissolves in water it splits up into ions. Baking soda separates into Na+ (sodium ion) and HCO3- (bicarbonate ion) ions.
Formula equation:
NaHCO3 → Na+ (aq) + HCO3- (aq)
Note: (aq) in the formula equation represents state of matter which means a solution in water

6. Vinegar, a pure chemical is an ionic substance
Scientific name: Acetic acid
Chemical formula: CH3COOH
Nature: Weak acid (5% solution of acetic acid in water)
Reaction with water: When an ionic substance dissolves in water it splits up into ions. Vinegar separates into H+ (hydrogen ion) and CH3COO- (acetate ions).
Formula equation:
CH3COOH → H+ (aq) + CH3COO- (aq)
Note: (aq) in the formula equation represents state of matter which means solution in water

7. The reaction between baking soda and vinegar
We will do this lab to see -
What happens when baking soda and vinegar are mixed together?
In what molar ratio baking soda and vinegar are mixed to give the rocket its maximum height?
How to write the balanced chemical equation of this reaction.

8. Rocket Propellant Lab
In this lab, you will become a scientist, but instead of using dangerous chemicals for your rocket, you will use chemical reactions between baking soda and vinegar.

9. Note: For safety, you should put your safety goggles on
Preparation of rocket
In this reaction you will mix baking soda and vinegar in a capped film canister .
Baking soda packed into the Quickly snap the lid
depression of the canister lid
and vinegar in the canister
Note: For safety, you should put your safety goggles on

10. Rocket Launching
Turn the canister over so that the lid is on the ground and wait for the chemicals to react.
When the lid finally pop off, the rocket should overcome the gravity and launch
You and your group members should watch how high it goes from the ground