Question

How do you make sodium hydroxide from sodium bicarbonate?

Answer 1

The sodium hydroxide can be prepared from sodium bicarbonate:

1. Heating sodium bicarbonate $\left({\mathrm{NaHCO}}_3\right)$ at ${850}^{°}C$ will generate sodium oxide.
2. $2{\mathrm{NaHCO}}_3\left(\mathrm{s}\right)\underset{}{\overset{850°\mathrm{C}}{\to }}{\mathrm{Na}}_2\mathrm{O}\left(\mathrm{s}\right)+{\mathrm{H}}_2\mathrm{O}\left(\mathrm{g}\right)+2{\mathrm{CO}}_2\left(\mathrm{g}\right)$
3. This sodium oxide can be cooled and converted into sodium hydroxide $\left(\mathrm{NaOH}\right)$ via the addition of water.
4. ${\mathrm{Na}}_2\mathrm{O}\left(\mathrm{s}\right)+{\mathrm{H}}_2\mathrm{O}\left(\mathrm{l}\right)\underset{}{\overset{}{\to }}2\mathrm{NaOH}\left(\mathrm{s}\right)$

Therefore, the above points and reaction diagram clearly explains the formation of sodium hydroxide from sodium bicarbonate