How can the products of combining vinegar and baking soda be used to out fire?

Answer 1

One of the products is CO2 which is slightly heavier than air and does not support combustion. When used on a fire it will cover the combusting materials and not allow O2 to reach them and feed the fire.

Answer 2

Vinegar contains acetic acid (or ethanoic acid) and baking powder contains sodium hydrogen carbonate. When the two react they form sodium ethanoate, water and carbon dioxide as below.

CH3COOH + NaHCO3 → CH3COONa + H2O + CO2

Clearly if enough of this reaction occurred, then the water produced could extinguish the fire. However in actuality the CO2 generated, which is heavier than oxygen, settles around the fire and displaces oxygen from that space. Thus, the fire does not have access to oxygen and so further combustion cannot occur, and hence the flame is extinguished.

Answer 3

Acid + Bicarbonate = Salt + Carbon Dioxide + Water
Vinegar is an acid an baking soda is a bicarbonate. When the two are reacted together it produces carbon dioxide gas. When an object is burning it requires oxygen, so by smothering the flames in carbon dioxide it displaces the oxygen, stopping the reaction.

Answer 4

I believe that the combination causes carbon dioxide to form which is a fire deterrent.

Answer 5

All true. Which leads to an "inconvenient truth". If
CO2 is heavier than air, which it is, how does it get into the upper atmosphere to do the greenhouse gas effect? Sorry to digress.

Answer 6

care should be takin when mixing the two. they dont explode but they do rapidly create co2. i used to make bombs out of the stuff.