Question

What happens when washing soda is heated up?

Answer 1

Sodium Carbonate

• Sodium carbonate is an inorganic compound, also known as soda ash or washing soda.
• The chemical formula of sodium carbonate is ${\mathrm{Na}}_2{\mathrm{CO}}_3.10{\mathrm{H}}_2\mathrm{O}$. It has ten water molecules attached which are known as the water of crystallization.

Heating Sodium Carbonate-

• On heating sodium carbonate, the water of crystallization is lost and it becomes anhydrous sodium carbonate. Here no gas is evolved.
• The chemical reaction is as follows,
• $$\begin{gathered} {\mathrm{Na}}_2{\mathrm{CO}}_3.10{\mathrm{H}}_2\mathrm{O}\left(\mathrm{s}\right)\stackrel{\mathrm{heat}}{\to }{\mathrm{Na}}_2{\mathrm{CO}}_3\left(\mathrm{s}\right)+10{\mathrm{H}}_2\mathrm{O}\left(\mathrm{g}\right) \\ (\mathrm{Sodium}\mathrm{carbonate})(\mathrm{Anhydrous}\mathrm{sodium}\mathrm{carbonate})(\mathrm{Water}\mathrm{vapor}) \end{gathered}$$