Bicarbonate Soda vs Sodium Carbonate?

Popperwell

There is probably a similar product in Australia...

All the details are here what they do and what's in them...

http://www.medicines.ie/medicine/2083/SPC/Andrews+Liver+Salts+Effervescent+Powder/

burgesst

Just don't get mixed up between washing soda and caustic soda crystals.

The latter will clear your drains, but also dissolve your hand off (probably!)

Justamum

j.e.j. wrote: »

Washing soda crystals will cut through grease. It's also a good water softener for the washing machine. Bicarb I find is good for cleaning the fridge, deodorising, or as a mild abrasive cleaner on the cooker or bath tub, etc.

No idea about how many atoms it's got in it, I'm afraid

(Just as an aside I've an inkling the washing soda crystals you get in Oz have a slightly different texture to the stuff you get here. Is it more powdery?)

Soda crystals is brilliant for cutting through grease - the spray one is particularly useful for that.

The soda crystals we get in the UK is fine powder, but I used to buy it in South Africa and it was in big chunks. The powder is far easier to use.

Justamum

Popperwell wrote: »

Would appear it is slightly alkaline...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_bicarbonate

That may explain why it is often included in indigestion remedies or people sometimes drink it diluted?

Isn't it an ingredient in Andrews Liver Salts?

When we were children, if we had a stomach ache my mum would make us a strong bicarb solution which we had to sip. It worked, but it tasted pretty disgusting :rotfl: Mind you it would be cheaper making your own than buying Andrews Liver Salts I should imagine.

juliaw

A drain clearing man told me not to put washing soda/sodium carbonate solution down the drains to clean them. I had used sodium carbonate in boling water. He said that when the solution hits cold water it crystalises again and blocks the drains.

Algolthedemonstar

Bicarbonate of soda is a very mild alkali. It's safe to use in or on the body. It's an effective antacid if you have an upset stomach, in fact it's an ingredient of Andrew's, but it tastes awful on its own. You can use it dissolved in water to wipe out the fridge without leaving a taint, or add a teaspoonful to the soaking water in a thermos flask. It can be used on bee stings (bicarbonate for bees, vinegar for wasps, same end of the alphabet). It's sometimes used as an raising agent in cookery, e.g. in gingerbread, but it's not the same thing as baking powder, which is a mixture of bicarb with other things. It's not really alkaline enough to clean drains.
Sodium carbonate or washing soda is a much stronger alkali and should be handled with care. Keep this away from your eyes and wear rubber gloves. It works very well as a routine grease remover for drains, and I think the idea of it's recrystallising in cold water is extremely unlikely. It's a good water softener. It comes in many forms, both powder and crystals, and its appearance is affected by the way it's stored as well as its manufacture.
To be technical, sodium carbonate contains two atoms of carbon per formula, and bicarbonate of soda only one. I know that sounds backwards, but the 'bi' is an old usage and doesn't mean two. I'd write the formulae for you but this box, won't let me do subscripts!

shammyjack

juliaw wrote: »

A drain clearing man told me not to put washing soda/sodium carbonate solution down the drains to clean them. I had used sodium carbonate in boling water. He said that when the solution hits cold water it crystalises again and blocks the drains.

COBBLERS ! Your drain man is an idiot !

Crystals can only form in a saturated solution and as water is constantly being flushed down your drains the solution is weakening all the time .

SallyD

I pour soda solution down my plug holes most weeks in a bid to stop that Drain Man coming.

I buy white vinegar by the gallon £1.90 from a local Chinese cash & carry - brilliant stuff. Adding a few drops of Zoflora concentrated disinfectant available in various fragrances to the vinegar rinse in the washing machine leaves a nice light aroma.

Dick_Tucker

juliaw wrote: »

A drain clearing man told me not to put washing soda/sodium carbonate solution down the drains to clean them. I had used sodium carbonate in boling water. He said that when the solution hits cold water it crystalises again and blocks the drains.

He was either very stupid or a liar then. if it's in solution it's not going to recrystallise when it hits cold water and even if it did it would be tiny crystals which would be washed away by the water.

Dick_Tucker

Algolthedemonstar wrote: »

Bicarbonate of soda is a very mild alkali. It's safe to use in or on the body. It's an effective antacid if you have an upset stomach, in fact it's an ingredient of Andrew's, but it tastes awful on its own. You can use it dissolved in water to wipe out the fridge without leaving a taint, or add a teaspoonful to the soaking water in a thermos flask. It can be used on bee stings (bicarbonate for bees, vinegar for wasps, same end of the alphabet). It's sometimes used as an raising agent in cookery, e.g. in gingerbread, but it's not the same thing as baking powder, which is a mixture of bicarb with other things. It's not really alkaline enough to clean drains.
Sodium carbonate or washing soda is a much stronger alkali and should be handled with care. Keep this away from your eyes and wear rubber gloves. It works very well as a routine grease remover for drains, and I think the idea of it's recrystallising in cold water is extremely unlikely. It's a good water softener. It comes in many forms, both powder and crystals, and its appearance is affected by the way it's stored as well as its manufacture.
To be technical, sodium carbonate contains two atoms of carbon per formula, and bicarbonate of soda only one. I know that sounds backwards, but the 'bi' is an old usage and doesn't mean two. I'd write the formulae for you but this box, won't let me do subscripts!

Bicarbonate of Soda NaHCO3.
Sodium carbonate Na2CO3