what is Sodium Carbonate?
This is again an inorganic compound that can be used as the moderate base and it is also named as washing soda too. The chemical structure of the compound is given below. The chemical formula for the compound is Na2CO3 with a molecular weight of 106.0 g/mol.
Sodium Carbonate chemical Structure
This is an ionic compound made up of carbonic acid. When you will look at the chemical structure of compound carefully, it has two sodium cations and one carbonate anion. The compound has a crystalline heptahydrate structure.
The natural occurrence of the compound can be felt in minerals in the form of hydrate salts and it is usually available in the dry regions across worldwide. The compound can be prepared by chemical reaction commercially by two different methods.
Sodium Carbonate FormulaNa2CO3
The first popular method is mining of mineral deposits of sodium carbonate ions that is taken as the primary formulation technique in the USA. In the other technique, the product is prepared by the Solvay process where sodium chloride reacts with ammonia to form sodium bicarbonate that can be heated again to form the sodium carbonate.
The product is a white crystalline powder having a density of 2.54 g/mL, and a melting point of 851 °C. It is acidic in nature and a strong base too. It could react violently with acids when heated at high temperatures, it further transforms to fumes of Na2O.
About Sodium Carbonate
Majorly, the compound is used as the water softener, and the food processing aid, swimming pool chemical, pH modifier, or electrolyte etc. it could be used for manufacturing of glass, soaps, paper, detergents, or any other useful chemicals.