sodium carbonate

noun

, Chemistry.

1. Also called soda ash. an anhydrous, grayish-white, odorless, water-soluble powder, Na 2 CO 3 , usually obtained by the Solvay process and containing about 1 percent of impurities consisting of sulfates, chlorides, and bicarbonates of sodium: used in the manufacture of glass, ceramics, soaps, paper, petroleum products, sodium salts, as a cleanser, for bleaching, and in water treatment.
2. Also called sal soda, soda, washing soda. the decahydrated form of this salt, Na 2 CO 3 ⋅10H 2 O, used similarly.
3. the monohydrated form of this salt, Na 2 CO 3 ⋅H 2 O, used similarly, especially in photography.

sodium carbonate

noun

1. a colourless or white odourless soluble crystalline compound existing in several hydrated forms and used in the manufacture of glass, ceramics, soap, and paper and as an industrial and domestic cleansing agent. It is made by the Solvay process and commonly obtained as the decahydrate (washing soda or sal soda) or a white anhydrous powder (soda ash). Formula: Na 2 CO 3 See also washing soda sal soda soda ash

Word History and Origins

Origin of sodium carbonate¹

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

The Met's Cdr Jon Savell said a laboratory analysis of the substance from the attack site found it was a "very strong concentrated corrosive substance, either liquid sodium hydroxide or liquid sodium carbonate".

From BBC

He covers most every disgusting stain imaginable and suggests ways to get rid of them, MacGyver-like, using bleach alternative, sodium carbonate, rubbing alcohol and white vinegar.

From Washington Post

Images from NASA's Dawn spacecraft, which dipped to less than 35 kilometers above Ceres’s surface on its 2018 mission, reveal the areas are deposits of mostly sodium carbonate.

From Nature

The site produces materials such as boric acid, sodium carbonate, sodium sulfate and several specialty forms of borax used in soaps and other industrial materials.

From Los Angeles Times

Inside the machine, the gases arising from coal combustion are “scrubbed”, which is done with a water solution of sodium carbonate or sodium hydroxide.

From The Guardian