Starr Mann

Honors Chemistry
Ms. Watson
28 February 2014
Sodium Carbonate
Sodium Carbonate, also known as washing soda or soda ash, is a sodium salt made of
carbonic acid. It occurs naturally from the ashes of plant compounds and in mineral deposits in
freshwater and salt beds. In the United States, sodium carbonate can be found naturally in the
Green River in Wyoming. Sodium Carbonate can also be made in laboratories by mixing salt and
limestone (Priddy).
In the late 1700s, Nicolas Leblanc was the first to compound sodium carbonate, thus
creating the Leblanc process in 1971. The Leblanc process produces sodium carbonate or soda
ash from salt. First, sodium chloride is mixed with sulfuric acid at 800-900 degrees Celsius, and
hydrogen chloride gas evolves, resulting in solid sodium sulfate. Then, the sodium sulfate is
crushed, and is mixed with charcoal and limestone and again heated in a furnace. But hundreds
of years before the 18
th
century, Egyptians used washing soda to help in their mummifying
process, as well as a cleaning solution (Priddy).
Sodium carbonate is a solid and odorless. Its white or grayish, and can be crystallized or
as powder or lumps. Its also hygroscopic, meaning it can attract and hold water from its
surrounding environment, and its solubility in water is 365 g/L (ChemSpider). Sodium
carbonates chemical formula is Na
2
CO3. When sodium carbonate boils, it decomposes. So its
boiling point/decomposition temperature is 400 degrees Celsius, and its freezing/melting point
851 degrees Celsius. Its density is 1.55 g/cm
3
, and the molecular weight is 105.99 g/mol. Sodium
carbonates pH level is 11.6 (Chemical Book). It is stable at room temperature in closed
containers, but reacts explosively with aluminum metal. Its incompatible with lithium, ammonia
and silver nitrate, fluorine, sulfuric acid, sodium sulfide and water, and hydrogen peroxide. Hot
concentrated amounts of sodium carbonate are corrosive to steel, so sodium carbonate can be a
base or alkali (Lewis).
Sodium carbonate is available in three forms (commercially): anhydrous, monohydrate,
and crystal. They differentiate by the amount of water molecules each form contains. The
monohydrate form is the most stable, and the crystalline form is the most reactive (Anchell).
Sodium is a metal, and carbon is a nonmetal, so sodium carbonate has an ionic bond.
Sodium carbonate has a variety of uses. In the industry, sodium carbonate is used as a key
ingredient in the manufacturing of glass. It can be made into flat glass for building construction,
or in automobile manufacturing. 49% of soda ash from the US is used to make glass, and 46% of
the ash is exported. General Chemical Soda Ash of Wyoming supplies 96% of Australian
manufacturing glass (Sodium Carbonate). It can also be used to make chemicals, like bleach, but
can also be used to make soaps and detergents. It has other uses as well, such as oil refining,
synthetic rubber, paper/paper pulp production, removal of sulfur from smokestack emissions, and
water treatment. Sodium carbonate is also an electrolyte, and is used in the electrolysis process
(chemical reaction from an electrical current). This process works because sodium carbonate is a
good conductor of electricity. It also has its untraditional uses as well its used to remove flesh
from the skulls and bones of animals in taxidermy when preparing hunting trophies, keeps pools
chemically neutral, and aids in the development of photographic films.
Sodium carbonate can cause different symptoms if inhaled, swallowed, or exposed to the
skin. If inhaled, symptoms are: breathing problems due to throat swelling, hoarseness, and
difficulty swallowing. If sodium carbonate is swallowed, the symptoms are: vomiting and
diarrhea. If exposed to the skin, symptoms include: eye irritation, redness, and pain skin
irritation. Other potential symptoms are: low blood pressure, shock, severe pain in the mouth,
throat, chest, or abdominal area, collapse, and drooling. To prevent any of these symptoms from
occurring, its best to use rubber gloves when handling sodium carbonate (soda ash, or washing
soda), and wear appropriate protective clothing to avoid contact with skin. When handling the
powder form instead of the crystallized form, use a respiratory mask to avoid inhaling the dust;
so its best to buy sodium carbonate in crystal form (Sodium Carbonate).
Sodium Carbonate, also known as washing soda or soda ash, is a hygroscopic, corrosive
base and alkali sodium salt made of carbonic acid. It occurs naturally from the ashes of plant
compounds and in mineral deposits in freshwater and salt beds. Sodium carbonate was used
centuries ago as a mummifying agent to the Egyptians, and was first compounded by Nicolas
Leblanc in 1791. It has many industrial and domestic uses, including the manufacturing of glass
and chemicals, as well as soaps and detergents.