How can you prove that mass is being conserved when adding baking soda to vinegar?

Well, every substance has mass. You can try this out but weighing the vinegar before you add baking soda and weigh the vinegar after you add baking soda.

Heart's suggestion, although partly on the mark, won't work because a gas is evolved in the process. Vinegar is acetic acid, CH3COOH. Vinegar + baking soda (NaHCO3) reacts as follows:

CH3COOH + NaHCO3 ==>CO2 + H2O + CH3COONa
To prove the conservation of mass, one would need to enclose this reaction in a sealed vessel and weigh before and after the reaction. Alternatively, one could weigh the reactants, add them, funnel the CO2 gas through an absorbing train to catch the CO2, and weigh the products (CO2 in the absorbant, CH3COONa and water in the reaction vessel).

To prove that mass is conserved when adding baking soda to vinegar, you can follow these steps:

1. Start by taking accurate measurements of the mass of vinegar and baking soda separately using a digital scale.
2. Next, pour a measured quantity of vinegar into a container and record its mass.
3. Add a carefully measured amount of baking soda to the vinegar in the container.
4. Stir the mixture gently to ensure complete reaction.
5. After the reaction is complete, measure the mass of the container, including the remaining mixture.
6. Compare the total mass of the container with the initial mass of vinegar and baking soda combined.

If the mass of the container, including the remaining mixture, is equal to the initial mass of vinegar and baking soda combined, then mass has been conserved during the reaction.

It's important to note that the reaction between baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and vinegar (acetic acid) produces carbon dioxide gas, water, and a salt called sodium acetate. The carbon dioxide gas will escape into the surroundings, but this does not affect the conservation of mass. As long as the initial and final mass of the system (vinegar + baking soda + container) is the same, mass conservation is demonstrated.