About Sodium Bicarbonate

Sodium bicarbonate is a white crystalline solid, with a pleasant taste. It is commonly known as baking soda, sodium bicarb and bicarb soda; but more familiar to chemists as sodium bicarbonate, sodium hydrogen carbonate, sodium acid carbonate and bicarbonate of soda. Sodium carbonate has myriad applications. It is one of the cheapest chemicals for domestic use. Sodium carbonate is chiefly used as a food additive in baked goods. It makes an essential ingredient in effervescent salts. It is also used in medicine to treat excess stomach acidity. Sodium bicarbonate is also a very effective fire extinguisher.

Preparation

• Sodium bicarbonate is formed as an intermediate product in the manufacture of sodium carbonate by Solvay's process. However, it is economically produced from purified sodium carbonate rather than purifying the intermediate compound. Sodium bicarbonate is less soluble in water than sodium carbonate, so carbon dioxide gas is produced in bubbles when sodium carbonate is mixed with water, while sodium bicarbonate precipitates at the bottom of the solution which can be collected through filtration and dried.

Properties

• Sodium bicarbonate is an odorless, white crystalline solid or powder. It is sparingly soluble in water and alcohol. The aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate shows a faint alkalinity. It decomposes to sodium carbonate and carbon dioxide when heated above 50 degrees C. This property of sodium bicarbonate is utilized in baking powder. It gives off carbon dioxide on reacting with an acid. Sodium bicarbonate is also non-flammable and non-explosive in nature.

Baking Powder

• A major commercial application of sodium bicarbonate is in the preparation of baking powders in conjunction with corn starch and alum or potassium hydrogen tartrate. During baking of breads or cakes, carbon dioxide is released which imparts a porous, or spongy texture to the baked products.

Uses at Home

• Sodium bicarbonate has a wide range of domestic applications. It is used as a cleaning agent to clean garbage, fridges and disposals. It is a well-known water softener in cleaning clothes and for washing dishes. Sodium bicarbonate deodorizes shoes and footwear cupboards. It also can be used as a powerful household pesticide in admixture with sugar.

Uses in Medicine

• Sodium bicarbonate has the power to reduce or nullify the effect of acidity in both blood and urine. Therefore, it is used in urgent medical conditions such as heart attacks, serious lung or kidney problems as it restores the balance between acid and base in the blood. Sodium bicarbonate also has medicinal usefulness to treat overdose conditions with specific types of drugs.