Question

What does baking soda have that citric acid doesn't to make bubbles?

Answer 1

First lets write down the chemical formula

baking soda:

NaHCO₃
citric acid:

CH3COOH

Lets write the base ionization reaction for NaHCO3

NaHCO3 + H2O -> NaOH + CO2+ H2O

With this equations down, we can clearly see that baking soda produce carbon dioxide gas since H2CO3 dissolves into CO2+ H2O. The required part is HCO3-, where that does not apply to citric acid