Sodium carbonate

Sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃) is an inorganic salt that dissolves in water to produce an alkaline solution. It is used in glassmaking, detergents, and water treatment.

Soda-lime glass: A common glass made mainly from silica, sodium oxide, and calcium oxide. Sodium carbonate supplies the sodium oxide that lowers silica’s melting temperature.
Carbonate ion: The polyatomic ion CO₃²⁻, formed from carbonic acid by loss of two protons. It accepts protons and forms insoluble salts with ions such as calcium.
Sodium ion: The positively charged ion Na⁺ formed when a sodium atom loses one electron. Two sodium ions balance the charge of each carbonate ion in Na₂CO₃.
Trona: A naturally occurring evaporite mineral composed mainly of hydrated sodium sesquicarbonate. Trona is mined and processed as a major natural source of sodium carbonate.
Sodium hydroxide: A strongly caustic sodium compound, NaOH, widely used as an industrial alkali. It provides stronger alkalinity than sodium carbonate and reacts differently with acids.
Laundry detergent: A cleaning product formulated to remove soil from fabrics during washing. Sodium carbonate raises wash-water alkalinity and helps detergents work in hard water.
Hydrolysis: A reaction in which a substance reacts with water, often changing the solution’s pH. Carbonate reacts with water to produce bicarbonate and hydroxide ions.
Ionic compound: A substance composed of oppositely charged ions held together by electrostatic attraction. Sodium carbonate’s formula and crystal structure arise from ionic charge balance.
Solvay process: An industrial process that makes sodium carbonate from brine and limestone using ammonia. It became the principal synthetic route to soda ash in many regions.
Potassium carbonate: A water-soluble potassium salt of carbonic acid, K₂CO₃. It shares carbonate chemistry but supplies potassium rather than sodium.

Linked from 16 pages