A sodium salt of carbonic acid; used in making soap powders and glass and paper; SYN. washing soda, sal soda, soda ash, soda.
Or soda ash; Na2CO3 anhydrous white solid. The hydrated, crystalline form (Na2CO3.1OH2O) is also known as washing soda.
It is made by the Solvay process and used as a mild alkali, as it is hydrolysed in water.
CO32–(aq) + H2O(l) ® HCO3-(aq) + OH-(aq)
It is used to neutralize acids, in glass manufacture, and in water softening.
A sodium salt of carbonic acid used especially in making soaps and chemicals, in water softening, in cleaning and bleaching, and in photography: as a hygroscopic crystalline anhydrous strongly alkaline salt Na2CO3; the transparent crystalline hydrate Na2CO3 10H2O found in nature as natron