bg

News

What is the difference between soda ash and caustic soda?

Soda ash and caustic soda are both extremely alkaline chemical raw materials. They are both white solids and have similar names, which can easily confuse people. In fact, soda ash is sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃), while caustic soda is sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The two are not the same substance at all. It can also be seen from the molecular formula that sodium carbonate is a salt, not an alkali, because the aqueous solution of sodium carbonate becomes alkaline, because it is also called soda ash. Below we explain the differences between the two in detail from several aspects.
The difference between soda ash and caustic soda 1. Chemical name and chemical formula difference Soda ash: chemical name sodium carbonate, chemical formula Na₂CO₃. Caustic soda: chemical name is sodium hydroxide, chemical formula is NaOH.

2. Differences in physical and chemical properties: Soda ash is a salt. Sodium carbonate containing ten crystal waters is a colorless crystal. The crystal water is unstable and easily weathered, turning into white powder Na2CO3. It is a strong electrolyte and has the properties and thermal stability of salt. , easily soluble in water, and its aqueous solution is alkaline. Caustic soda is a highly corrosive alkali, generally in the form of flakes or granules. It is easily soluble in water (it releases heat when dissolved in water) and forms an alkaline solution. It is also deliquescent and can easily absorb water from the air. steam.

3. Differences in uses: Soda ash is one of the important chemical raw materials. It is widely used in light industry, daily chemicals, building materials, chemical industry, food industry, metallurgy, textile, petroleum, national defense, medicine and other fields. It is used as a raw material for manufacturing other chemicals. Cleaning agents, detergents, also used in photography and analysis. Followed by metallurgy, textiles, petroleum, national defense, medicine and other industries. The glass industry is the largest consumer sector of soda ash, consuming 0.2 tons of soda ash per ton of glass. Among the industrial soda ash, it is mainly used in light industry, building materials, and chemical industry, accounting for about 2/3, followed by metallurgy, textiles, petroleum, national defense, pharmaceutical and other industries. Caustic soda is mainly used in papermaking, cellulose pulp production and production of soap, synthetic detergents, synthetic fatty acids and refining of animal and vegetable oils and fats. In the textile printing and dyeing industry, it is used as cotton desizing agent, scouring agent and mercerizing agent. The chemical industry is used to produce borax, sodium cyanide, formic acid, oxalic acid, phenol, etc. It is used in the petroleum industry to refine petroleum products and in oil field drilling muds. It is also used in the surface treatment of aluminum oxide, metallic zinc and metallic copper, as well as in glass, enamel, tanning, medicine, dyes and pesticides. Food-grade products are used as acid neutralizers in the food industry, as peeling agents for citrus and peaches, and as detergents for empty bottles and cans, as well as decolorizing and deodorizing agents.


Post time: Aug-26-2024