write a note on washing soda
Answers
What is Washing Soda and how it is produced? Washing soda is sodium carbonate with 10 molecules of water of crystallisation. It is used in the manufacture of glass, soaps, detergents, paper etc.
Washing Soda is sodium carbonate containing 10 molecules of water of crystallisation. So, we can say that washing soda is sodium carbonate decahydrate (Na2CO3.10H2O).
The sodium carbonate which does not contain any water of crystallisation is called anhydrous sodium carbonate or soda ash (Na2CO3).
In the following three steps, washing soda is prepared from sodium chloride or common salt.
Firstly, a cold and concentrated sodium chloride solution is reacted with ammonia and carbon dioxide to obtain sodium hydrogen carbonate.
The sodium hydrogen carbonate is slightly soluble in water, so it precipitates out as solid.