Soda ash

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Description

A white to gray powder of Sodium carbonate. Soda ash naturally occurs as trona in mineral water deposits. Impurities may include Sodium chloride, sodium sulfate, Sodium bicarbonate, Calcium carbonate, and Magnesium carbonate. Soda ash is made synthetically by the Solvay process. Soda ash is used primarily in the manufacture of Glass and Paper pulp. It is also used in soaps, water softeners, and Textile processing.

Synonyms and Related Terms

anhydrous sodium carbonate; calcined soda; Solvay soda; trona

Chemical structure

Soda ash.jpg

Risks

  • Noncombustible.
  • Corrosive to skin and eyes.
  • JMN Specialties: SDS

Physical and Chemical Properties

  • Soluble in water, glycerol. Insoluble in ethanol.
  • Aqueous solution has a pH = 11.6.
Composition Na2CO3
CAS 497-19-8
Melting Point 851 C
Density 2.53 g/ml
Molecular Weight mol. wt. = 105.99

Resources and Citations

  • Michael McCann, Artist Beware, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York City, 1979
  • Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982
  • G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 734
  • The Merck Index, Susan Budavari (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Whitehouse Station, NJ, 12th Edition, 1996 Comment: entry 8739
  • Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993
  • The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998
  • Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997