Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
SODIUM CARBONATE (Na
2
CO
3
)
Commercially sold as “soda ash”
Properties
Sodium carbonate is a white, powdery solid
moderately soluble in water to give a basic solution.
It reacts with acids to produce a sodium salt and
carbon dioxide.
Commercial grades
Available in many grades such as “lite,” “dense,” or
“fine powdered” in bags and bulk.
Uses
Over 50% is used to make glass. Other uses include
the preparation of chemicals (such as sodium silicate
and sodium phosphate), soaps and detergents, in the
pulp and paper industry, and in water treatment.
Substantial amounts are exported.
Manufacture
About 95% of the sodium carbonate used in the U.S.
is mined, primarily in Wyoming. The ore is known
as “trona” and needs only to be heated to produce
commercial “soda ash.” Elsewhere in the world it is
made by the “Solvay” process, which uses limestone
and salt as raw materials. Calcium chloride is a by-
product of the Solvay process.
Suppliers
FMC Corp., Solvay Minerals, General Chemical, OCI
Wyoming, IMC, TG Soda Ash.
Less than half as much energy is needed to recover sodium carbonate from
ores as it is to make it synthetically. The environmental impact is also less.
However, because there is a limited distribution of natural soda ash in the
world compared to the wide availability of salt and limestone, synthesis will
continue to be a source of sodium carbonate outside the U.S.
Sodium carbonate undergoes many of the same reactions as sodium
hydroxide, for example, the formation of salts when contacted with acids.
In the case of sodium carbonate, carbon dioxide gas is formed along with
water.
