Question

(a) Name two constituents of baking powder.

(b) How does baking powder differ from baking soda?

(c) Explain the action of baking powder in the making of cake (or bread). Write equation of the reaction involved.

Answer 1

(a) Sodium hydrogen carbonate and tartaric acid are the two constituents of baking powder.

(b) Baking powder is a mixture of baking soda and tartaric acid whereas baking soda is only sodium hydrogen carbonate.

(c) When baking powder mixes with water, then sodium hydrogen carbonate reacts with tartaric acid to evolve carbon dioxide gas which gets trapped in the wet dough and bubbles out slowly making the cake soft and spongy.

Reaction: $NaHC{O}_3\left(aq\right)+H^{+}\left(aq\right)\to N{a}^{+}\left(aq\right)+C{O}_2\left(g\right)+H_{2}O\left(l\right)$