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Concept
Sodium carbonate
Summary
Sodium carbonate (also known as washing soda, soda ash and soda crystals) is the inorganic compound with the formula and its various hydrates. All forms are white, odourless, water-soluble salts that yield alkaline solutions in water. Historically, it was extracted from the ashes of plants grown in sodium-rich soils. Because the ashes of these sodium-rich plants were noticeably different from ashes of wood (once used to produce potash), sodium carbonate became known as "soda ash". It is produced in large quantities from sodium chloride and limestone by the Solvay process, as well as by carbonating sodium hydroxide which is made using the Chlor-alkali process.
Sodium carbonate is obtained as three hydrates and as the anhydrous salt:
sodium carbonate decahydrate (natron), Na2CO3·10H2O, which readily effloresces to form the monohydrate.
sodium carbonate heptahydrate (not known in mineral form), Na2CO3·7H2O.
sodium carbonate monohydrate (thermonatrite), Na2CO3·H2O. Also known as crystal carbonate.
anhydrous sodium carbonate (natrite), also known as calcined soda, is formed by heating the hydrates. It is also formed when sodium hydrogencarbonate is heated (calcined) e.g. in the final step of the Solvay process.
The decahydrate is formed from water solutions crystallizing in the temperature range −2.1 to +32.0 °C, the heptahydrate in the narrow range 32.0 to 35.4 °C and above this temperature the monohydrate forms. In dry air the decahydrate and heptahydrate lose water to give the monohydrate. Other hydrates have been reported, e.g. with 2.5 units of water per sodium carbonate unit ("pentahemihydrate").
Sodium carbonate decahydrate (Na2CO3·10H2O), also known as washing soda, is the most common hydrate of sodium carbonate containing 10 molecules of water of crystallization. Soda ash is dissolved in water and crystallized to get washing soda.
Na2CO3 + 10H2O -> Na2CO3.10H2O
It is one of the few metal carbonates that is soluble in water.
Some common applications of sodium carbonate include:
As a cleansing agent for domestic purposes like washing clothes.
Official source
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