Sodium carbonate is used in dyeing cotton and other cellulose fibres such as linen, rayon, tencel or hemp, to increase the pH (alkalinity) of the reaction. The ideal pH depends on the fibre and the individual dye colour. Soda ash changes the pH of the fibre-reactive dye and cellulose fibre so that the dye reacts with the fibre, making a permanent attachment that holds the dye to the fibre.
Washing soda, soda ash, soda crystals are other names for Sodium Carbonate. Typically, this compound occurs as crystalline heptahydrate, a form that spontaneously effloresces to form white, odourless, hygroscopic powder.
Domestically, Sodium carbonate is popularly knownto be a water softener, as it can form a moderately basic solution in water. Additionally, Sodium Carbonate is also used to manufacture glass. This salt acts as a flux or silica and effectively lowers the melting point of the slurry-making the process easier to curate.
Sodium carbonate can be extracted from ashes of plants cultivated in Sodium-laden soil. Hence the name soda ash, for sodium carbonate. Apart from these, Sodium carbonate also has important uses in the food, chemical, textile and cosmetic industries.
Areas of application:
- Textile industry – water softener.
- Cosmetic industry
- Food industry – lyeing.
- Manufacturing industry – glass manufacture.
- Chemical industry – electrolytes.
Qualities:
- Hygroscopic
- Odourless
- Flux (melting point reducer)