Final answer:
When acetylsalicylic acid is mixed with sodium bicarbonate, they react to form a salt (sodium acetylsalicylate), carbon dioxide gas, and water, creating a solution, while no precipitate is formed.
Step-by-step explanation:
When acetylsalicylic acid is mixed with sodium bicarbonate, a chemical reaction occurs in which the acid reacts with the bicarbonate to form sodium acetylsalicylate (a salt), carbon dioxide gas, and water. This type of reaction is known as an acid-base reaction and is quite common when an acid reacts with a bicarbonate.
The detailed equation for this reaction would be:
C₉H₈O₄ (s) + NaHCO₃ (s) → C₉H₇O₄Na (s) + CO₂ (g) + H₂O (l)
(where C₉H₈O₄ is acetylsalicylic acid, NaHCO₃ is sodium bicarbonate, C₉H₇O₄Na is sodium acetylsalicylate, CO₂ is carbon dioxide, and H₂O is water)
Therefore, the correct answer to what happens when these two substances are mixed is that they form a salt, a gas, and a solution, but no precipitate.