What gas is produced when vinegar reacts with baking soda?

What gas is produced when vinegar reacts with baking soda? Carbon dioxide is released.

Vinegar contains acetic acid, while baking soda is sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃), a mild alkaline compound. When they meet, an acid–base reaction produces carbonic acid briefly; that unstable compound quickly breaks down into water and carbon dioxide gas. The fizzing and foaming are the escaping carbon dioxide bubbles.

The overall reaction can be summarized as sodium bicarbonate plus acetic acid producing sodium acetate, water, and carbon dioxide. This is why the mixture is popular in classroom demonstrations and homemade volcano experiments. The gas itself is invisible and nonflammable, although it can collect in an enclosed space and displace oxygen.

A common mix-up is confusing this reaction with ordinary bubbling caused by boiling or trapped air. The bubbles here are newly formed carbon dioxide. Baking powder also releases carbon dioxide, but it already contains both bicarbonate and one or more dry acids, so it only needs moisture and heat to work in many recipes.