Updated 04-May-2020.
Mondo shtuff from around the internet, all about SODIUM CARBONATE!
My botty best at summarizing from Wikipedia: Sodium carbonate is the inorganic compound with the formula Na2CO3 . all forms are white, water-soluble salts . Historically it was extracted from the ashes of plants growing in sodium-rich soils anhydrous sodium carbonate, also known as calcined soda, is formed by heating the hydrates . it is produced in large quantities from sodium chloride and limestone by 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 “soda glass” is mildly water-soluble, so some calcium carbonate is added to melt mixture . soda lime glass has been the most common form of glass for centuries . sodium carbonate is an inexpensive and water-soluble source of carbonate ions . it is one of the components of kansui (), a solution of alkaline salts used to give ramen noodles in cooking, it is sometimes used in place of sodium hydroxide for lyeing . it is cheaper than NaOH and far safer to handle . its mildness especially recommends its use in domestic applications. sodium carbonate is a common additive in swimming pools and aquarium water to maintain a desired pH and carbonate hardness (KH) it is used to maintain stable alkaline conditions necessary for the action of the majority of photographic film sodium carbonate is used to make sodium bisulfite (NaHSO3) this reaction is exploited for removing sulfur dioxide from flue gases in power stations . it is used by the cotton industry to neutralize sulfur deposits of the mineral natron have been mined from dry lake bottoms in Egypt since ancient times . the anhydrous mineral form of sodium carbonate is quite rare and called natrite . it also e extraterrestrially, known sodium carbonate is rare . deposits have been identified as the source of bright spots on Ceres . large natural deposits found in 1938 have made mining more economical . two million tons of soda ash have been extracted from the reserves near Ankara . it is also mined from some alkaline lakes such as lake magadi in Kenya by dredging . hot s “soda ash” refers to a solution boiled dry to create the final product . the name derives from the arabic word soda, in turn applied to salsola soda . “barilla conversion entails two parts. first is the carbothermic reaction whereby the coal, a source of carbon, reduces the sulfate . second stage is the reaction to produce sodium carbonate and calcium the leblanc process was the major production method for sodium carbonate until the late 1880s . it consumes only brine and limestone, and calcium chloride is its only waste product . the Solvay process quickly came to the second step of the Solvay process, heating sodium bicarbonate, is used on a small scale by home cooks and in restaurants to make sodium carbonate for culinary purposes (including pretzels and alkali noodles) ammonium chloride is precipitated in a sodium chloride solution . lianhe zhijian fa () means “coupled manufacturing alkali method” ammonia no longer needs to be Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology. doi:10.1002/0471238961.1915040918012108.a01.pub3. ISBN 978-0471238866. Thieme, C. (2000) Ullmann’s Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. doi:10.1002/14356007.a24_299. ISBN 978-3527306732.