Caustic soda

Soda or sodium bicarbonate is familiar to almost everyone, and is widely used in everyday life, thanks to the mass of excellent properties. Most of us are familiar only with baking soda, but with other sodium compounds: caustic soda and calcined soda - little is known. All three "sisters" differ in chemical composition and in their properties. In this article we will introduce you to the application, properties, features of each of the above connections.

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Food soda: use and properties of

Baking soda is also called sodium bicarbonate or sodium bicarbonate. The chemical formula of NaHCO3.This compound has a weak alkaline reaction. Due to its properties you can use soda not only in everyday life.

Sodium bicarbonate will help improve the taste or fix a spoiled dish, can replace expensive means for washing and disinfection. Speed ​​up recovery and even help lose weight. We will become acquainted with some areas of the use of baking soda in everyday life.

Cooking

Traditional application - for baking, as the most common and best baking powder for dough. For splendor and softness, soda is usually quenched with vinegar, kefir or lemon, depending on the recipe. And the use of soda is possible for such purposes:

1. Cutlets will be soft and lush, if you add a little soda in minced meat( at the tip of the knife).
2. Sodium bicarbonate will speed up the cooking time of legumes( peas, beans) if you add a pinch during cooking.
3. A small amount of soda neutralizes excess acid in any dish, and the taste of the sauce becomes more refined.
4. Porridge will not stick to the bottom of the pan, if you add a little soda during cooking.

Hygiene and Cosmetics

Sodium bicarbonate is an excellent water softener. Soda baths with the addition of aromatic oils are excellent procedures for the skin. Due to changes in water hardness, the consumption of gel and soap will decrease, which will positively affect the safety of your budget.

It is also useful to use baking soda at home for such purposes:

1. If the hair is quickly greased, then add the product to the shampoo and your hair will gain additional volume.
2. To obtain a scrub, apply a little cosmetic milk on a cotton swab and dip it into sodium bicarbonate powder. With gentle circular motions, go through the face and neck with a tool - the black dots will disappear.

Important! After cleansing with a scrub, pamper your face with a fat cream.

1. Soda is a part of home toothpaste. Apply sodium bicarbonate powder to the toothbrush together with toothpaste to whiten your teeth.

Medicine

Natural antiseptic properties of baking soda make it possible to use it widely in folk medicine to eliminate the symptoms of various diseases. For example:

1. Bicarbonate sodium is used to rinse throat, mouth cavity for colds, stomatitis and mucous damages( prepare a solution of 1 teaspoon and a glass of water).
2. When coughing, add a small amount of soda( at the tip of the knife) to a glass of hot milk. For inhalation, prepare a solution of 1 tsp.means and a glass of water.
3. To get rid of the itch after an insect bite, mix a small amount of water with the preparation until a thick slurry is obtained and apply the medicine to the bite site.
4. With increased acidity, soda can be ingested as an antacid( 1 tsp per ⅓ of water).

Important! You can use the remedy as a one-time aid, with constant use there will be problems with the mucous membrane of the stomach.

1. Sodium bicarbonate, soften the skin before removing corns and calluses( 1 tablespoon of product per 1 liter of water).
2. Soda baths for weight loss and cleansing. To make a bath, you need 500 g of sea salt, 300 g of baking soda and 10-15 drops of aromatic oil. The water temperature is 37-39 С, the duration of the procedure is 20 minutes.

Cleaning of various surfaces in the house

Baking soda is an excellent cleaning product that has universal application. Such a cheap powder is excellent for such tasks:

1. Perfectly launches washbasins, tiles, sanitary ware.
2. Suitable for washing and cleaning dishes. Wine glasses, wine glasses, glasses, wash with soda in cool water, and then rub them to shine will be much easier.
3. Perfectly removes the residue of burnt food. In a burnt pot or frying pan, boil the soda solution( 3-4 tablespoons of water per 1 liter of water).Leave the dishes overnight, and in the morning everything will be washed off easily.
4. The best detergent for cans during conservation - not only provides an ideal glass cleanliness, but also prevents the "detonation" of pickles during storage.
5. Neutralizes unpleasant odors. For example, to get rid of the smell in the refrigerator: pour a small amount of the product into an open container and place it on one of the shelves of the household appliance. Change the powder once every 2-3 weeks.
6. Safe for washing any dishes.

Important! Do not use sodium bicarbonate to clean aluminum objects - it is an exception.

1. Easily copes with fresh stains. Soda very quickly absorbs liquid, so blot the stain with paper napkins and cover with soda, and then gently note the rest of the contamination with a brush.
2. To clean the carpet: sprinkle sodium bicarbonate powder on the surface, sprinkle the product from the spray gun with water, allow time to dry, and then vacuum. After such cleaning, the smell of mustiness will disappear, and the colors will gain brightness.

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Calcined soda

Calcined soda has more alkaline properties and has the following chemical formula Na2CO3.This kind of soda was also used by our grandmothers when removing strong contaminants from cloth and clothing, but this tool is suitable only for linen and cotton materials. Use of soda ash for woolen or silk fabrics is undesirable, as it is possible to spoil the material.

Important! Thanks to its active substances, the product perfectly removes old strong dirt and stains on the stove, plumbing, tiles. When adding the calcined product to the powder when washing in automatic machines, the heating elements are protected from the formation of scale.

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Caustic soda: composition, properties of

Caustic soda is called caustic soda, sodium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide. The chemical formula is NaOH.

Important! Caustic soda is the most common alkali. The volume of its production and consumption per year is up to 57 million tons.

Properties

Pure sodium hydroxide is an opaque white mass that greedily absorbs from the air not only water vapor, but also carbon dioxide. The bodily sodium reacts with carbon dioxide, which is present in the air: it binds it, and as a result of this interaction, a white precipitate, soda ash, forms over time.

Important! Aqueous solutions of sodium hydroxide have a strong alkaline reaction( pH of 1% solution is 13).When dissolving in water or diluting an aqueous solution, as well as in contact with acids, a lot of heat is released.

It is also necessary to know the following before using caustic soda:

1. The product reacts with light metals: zinc, magnesium, aluminum, tin, and their alloys, thus releasing a large amount of hydrogen.
2. Sodium hydroxide is capable of destroying porcelain and glass by leaching silicates, as well as materials of organic origin, including paper, leather, cloth, etc. Sodium hydroxide is a corrosive corrosive agent.
3. The product does not enter into interaction with carbon steel, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, chromium-nickel steel, and also with many rubber-technical materials.

Security:

1. Caustic soda, if exposed to skin, causes chemical burns. With prolonged exposure to skin, ulcers and eczema may appear.
2. The product strongly affects the mucous membranes, especially it is dangerous to get into the eyes. The maximum allowable concentration of sodium hydroxide aerosol in the air of the working area of ​​various industrial premises is 0.5 mg per m3.
3. Caustic soda is fire and explosion-proof. It refers to harmful substances of the second hazard class in accordance with GOST 12.1.007.

Important! When working with caustic soda, it is necessary to use personal protective equipment: rubber gloves, goggles, protective clothing.

Caustic soda - industrial application

Corrosive soda, thanks to its properties, is widely used in a wide variety of industries, including chemical, metallurgical, gas, petrochemical, pulp and paper, textile, food.

This is far from a complete list of all the possibilities of this substance:

1. In the chemical and petrochemical industry( 57% of total consumption):
   • It is used to neutralize acids and acid oxides.
   • Used for cleaning oil and petroleum products.
   • With the help of caustic sodium, oil products are produced.
   • Used as a reagent or catalyst in chemical reactions.
2. In the pulp and paper industry caustic is used:
   • For delignification of cellulose.
   • In the production of paper, cardboard.
   • In the manufacture of man-made fibers, wood-fiber boards.
3. In the textile industry is applied:
   • For bleaching fabrics, flax.
   • For the regeneration of rubber.
4. In the food industry is applied:
   • For washing and cleaning fruits and vegetables from the skin.
   • In the production of cocoa and chocolate.
   • In the production of beverages, ice cream, caramel coloring.
   • In the production of bakery products, softening of olives.
   • As food additive Е524.
   • In the food industry( butter factories, dairies, distilleries, breweries, etc.), it is used for cleaning industrial equipment, as well as pipelines made from stainless and carbon steel, from oil substances, fat, organic residues. Used for degreasing and processing of containers and equipment.
5. In construction:
   • In the production of building materials( aerated concrete).
   • To strengthen the foundations of the foundation in buildings and structures.
6. In soap making it is used in the production of soap, shampoo and other detergents( for saponification of fats).
7. In the water treatment process, the caustic is used to neutralize acids and their oxides in water.
8. In the military industry:
   • Used as a neutralizer of the most dangerous gas - sarin.
   • It is used in an insulating respiratory apparatus( rebreather) for cleaning air from carbon dioxide.

Caustic soda: domestic use

The use of caustic soda in everyday life is also very important, as it allows you to quickly and with minimum effort and money to solve complex pollution problems. For example:

1. Cleaning utensils from contamination. Strong and active alkali is able to remove any contamination from the surface as soon as possible. A burnt pan or frying pan can be easily cleaned of caustic soda if left on the surface for a while. Calcined or baking soda cope with similar impurities much more slowly.

Important! You can not use caustic for aluminum products, as well as Teflon.

1. For flushing the heating and sewerage system. Sodium hydroxide is used as a reagent for dissolving the obstructions of sewer pipes. Use the product in the form of dry granules or as part of gels. Alkali destroys fatty layers on the walls of pipes, thus facilitating the easy advancement of blockages further along the drain.

Important! Use caustic only with protective equipment. Store the product only in the form of a powder( in a tightly closed container) and in places inaccessible to children. Do not store caustic as a solution.

We hope that the "miracle tool" - soda, helped you get rid of many everyday problems easily and simply. Use the information obtained, advice and recommendations for the use of sodium compounds. You will be surprised how much money you can save on the purchase of unnecessary expensive chemical household chemicals, which, moreover, are not always harmless to humans.