Comparison Of Baking Soda And Citric Acid-Base Chemistry

They can also have a wide range of ingredients, including bath salts, various fragrances, and other components. That said, there are a few key ingredients that most simple bath bomb recipes have: baking soda, citric acid, and cornstarch. When baking soda and citric acid are mixed together with some water, they undergo a chemical reaction. Specifically, this reaction involves acid-base chemistry, since the baking soda—also known as sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3)—is a weak base, and citric acid (C6H8O7) is a weak acid. This reaction is shown in Equation 1, below. As you can see from Equation 1, the acid-base reaction produces carbon dioxide (CO2) gas. This gas is what makes the fizzy bubbles when you toss a bath bomb into a tub full of water.
Equation