Sodium carbonate | chemical compound | Britannica (original) (raw)
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carbonates
In sodium: Principal compounds Sodium carbonate, or soda ash, Na2CO3, is widely distributed in nature, occurring as constituents of mineral waters and as the solid minerals natron, trona, and thermonatrite. Large quantities of this alkaline salt are used in making glass, detergents, and cleansers. Sodium carbonate is treated with… Read More
production
In alkali …production of soda ash (Na2CO3; sodium carbonate) and caustic soda (NaOH; sodium hydroxide). Other industrial alkalies include potassium hydroxide, potash, and lye. The production of a vast range of consumer goods depends on the use of alkali at some stage. Soda ash and caustic soda are essential to the production… Read More
In chemical industry: Sodium carbonate and other alkalies In 1775 the French Academy of Sciences offered an award for a practical method for converting common salt, sodium chloride, into sodium carbonate, a chemical needed in substantial amounts for the manufacture of both soap and glass. Nicolas Leblanc, a… Read More
applications
alkali refining
In fat and oil processing: Alkali refining …hydroxide) or soda ash (sodium carbonate). The refining may be done in a tank (in which case it is called batch or tank refining) or in a continuous system. In batch refining, the aqueous emulsion of soaps formed from free fatty acids, along with other impurities (soapstock), settles to… Read More
glassmaking
In glass: Commercial glass composition …is the purpose of the sodium carbonate (soda ash), which makes available the fluxing agent sodium oxide. By adding about 25 percent of the sodium oxide to silica, the melting point is reduced from 1,723 to 850 °C (3,133 to 1,562 °F). But such glasses are easily soluble in water… Read More
soap and detergents
In soap and detergent: Alkali …are sodium silicate (water glass), sodium carbonate (soda ash), sodium perborate, and various phosphates. Read More
In soap and detergent: Finishing synthetic detergents …are sodium silicate (water glass), sodium carbonate (soda ash), and various phosphates; the latter have contributed to the problem of wastewater pollution by contributing nutrients that sustain undesirable algae and bacteria growth, and much work has been done to find acceptable builders to replace, at least partially, phosphates, the use… Read More
water purification
In water purification: Pretreatment …(hard water) is treated with sodium carbonate (soda ash), is also part of the pretreatment process. During that step, sodium carbonate is added to the water to force out calcium carbonate, which is one of the main components in shells of marine life and is an active ingredient in agricultural… Read More
occurrences
alkali lakes
In lake: Chemical precipitates …bitter lakes, and those containing sodium carbonate are called alkali lakes. Soda Lake, California, is estimated to contain nearly one million tons of anhydrous sulfate. Magnesium salts of these types are also quite common and can be found in the same sediments as the sodium salts. Other salts of importance… Read More
playas
In playa: Saline minerals …is present, thenardite (Na2SO4) and sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) may be deposited. The last remaining brines of exceptionally high salinity precipitate highly soluble chlorides of sodium, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Read More
